detonation
Americannoun
-
the act of detonating.
-
an explosion.
-
Machinery. the premature spontaneous burning of a fuel–air mixture in an internal-combustion engine due to the high temperature of air compressed in a cylinder.
Other Word Forms
- detonative adjective
Etymology
Origin of detonation
1670–80; < Medieval Latin dētonātiōn- (stem of dētonātiō ), equivalent to Latin dētonāt ( us ) ( detonate ) + -iōn- -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Saturday Caracas time when the detonations began, lighting up the sullen sky like a post-New Year’s fireworks display.
From Los Angeles Times
Police said in a statement that it was an accidental detonation, not a terrorist attack.
From BBC
No country other than North Korea is known to have conducted a nuclear detonation for decades.
From Barron's
The last US nuclear test explosion was in September 1992, with a 20-kiloton underground detonation at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site.
From Barron's
But military officials said they suspect there was an issue with the fuse that led to the premature detonation.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
