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.
An explosive-laden drone was found this month at Leipzig airport, a key logistics hub for weapons sent to Ukraine, and police deployed a bomb-disposal robot to remove the detonator.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
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
The rocket is lit using an oversized lever designed to look like a “Looney Tunes” version of a TNT detonator.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2025
“Hurley gets this flare gun, and he fires the flare gun into the air with a massive detonator as a tribute to the ship,” explains Dr John Shears who led the expedition that found Endurance.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2024
The President saw it too and the matter did not amuse him, for he realized it could be the detonator that would set off the powder keg on which his government was delicately perched.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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