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.
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
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
You’d think he was pointing a detonator at Aquaman.
From The Guardian • Oct. 12, 2019
A scientist who lost three fingers when a detonator exploded as he handled it has been compensated by the Ministry of Defence.
From BBC • May 21, 2017
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.
