detonator
Americannoun
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a device, as a percussion cap, used to make another substance explode.
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something that explodes.
noun
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a small amount of explosive, as in a percussion cap, used to initiate a larger explosion
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a device, such as an electrical generator, used to set off an explosion from a distance
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a substance or object that explodes or is capable of exploding
Etymology
Origin of detonator
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.
A police bomb-squad used a robotic device to remove the device’s detonator, said the state government in Dresden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Bild daily reported that the drone found on the tarmac of the eastern German airport carried explosives and a detonator -- but police did not confirm this report to AFP, saying the investigation was ongoing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
For more common parts, like the plastics and metals and wiring inside each detonator, there are also questions about how the years spent in warheads might affect their integrity.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 19, 2023
What if these novae were actually the remnants of technological civilizations like ours, which had in fact discovered the dreaded "detonator" referenced by Rutherford?
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2023
Powell felt for the security of his detonator.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
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.
