detonation
Americannoun
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the act of detonating.
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an explosion.
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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.
“The Complex,” more meandering and less searing — is a departure from such detonation.
From Los Angeles Times
The report suggested possible causes for the premature fuze detonation but determined that military personnel were not at fault.
From Los Angeles Times
Polymarket alone has hosted what Bloomberg estimated as more than $500m in bets related to the Iran war, at one point offering an opportunity to play the odds on the chance of nuclear detonation.
From BBC
Textron’s tech can also trick mine sensors into thinking a large boat is passing, triggering a relatively safe detonation.
From Barron's
Textron’s tech can also trick mine sensors into thinking a large boat is passing, triggering a relatively safe detonation.
From Barron's
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.
