dynamite

[ dahy-nuh-mahyt ]

See synonyms for: dynamite dynamited dynamiting on Thesaurus.com

noun

a high explosive, originally consisting of nitroglycerin mixed with an absorbent substance, now with ammonium nitrate usually replacing the nitroglycerin.
any person or thing having a spectacular effect.

verb (used with object),dy·na·mit·ed, dy·na·mit·ing.

to blow up, shatter, or destroy with dynamite: Saboteurs dynamited the dam.
to mine or charge with dynamite.

adjective

Informal. creating a spectacular or optimum effect; great; topnotch: a dynamite idea; a dynamite crew.

Origin of dynamite

From Swedish dynamit, introduced by Alfred Bernhard Nobel, its inventor in 1867; see dynam-, -ite¹

Other words from dynamite

dy·na·mit·er, noun
dy·na·mit·ic [dahy-nuh-mit-ik], /ˌdaɪ nəˈmɪt ɪk/, adjective
dy·na·mit·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·dy·na·mit·ed, adjective

Words Nearby dynamite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dynamite in a sentence

Often taking the heavy-handed approach of detonating dynamite to free specimens, he amassed a collection of fossils representing both the young and the old.
Fossils and ancient DNA paint a vibrant picture of human origins | Erin Wayman | September 15, 2021 | Science News
For journalists suspicious about China’s handling of the virus, the thread—and those that followed—were dynamite.
They called it a conspiracy theory. But Alina Chan tweeted life into the idea that the virus came from a lab. | Antonio Regalado | June 25, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
Still, between the dynamite premise and the excellent cast, the show could easily be salvaged.
AMC’s Kevin Can F**K Himself Squanders a Thrillingly Subversive Premise | Judy Berman | June 18, 2021 | Time
The Taglieris, who work in IT and finance, are used to hearing dynamite detonations at least once a month at the plant, the couple said.
A huge explosion cracked house foundations in New Hampshire. An ‘extreme’ gender-reveal party was to blame. | Andrea Salcedo | April 23, 2021 | Washington Post
This was way louder and way more powerful than a dynamite blast.
A huge explosion cracked house foundations in New Hampshire. An ‘extreme’ gender-reveal party was to blame. | Andrea Salcedo | April 23, 2021 | Washington Post

The world that Black dynamite lives in is not the most PC place to be in.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical | Stereo Williams | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Music is a huge part of the tone of Black dynamite overall—going back to the original 2009 movie on which the series is based.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical | Stereo Williams | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
One strip, Foolish Grandpa and Sour Henry, shows Grandpa being hit on the head by a sandbag and blown up by dynamite.
The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians | Anthony Haden-Guest | November 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Jamiroquai's "Canned Heat," which was also featured in Napoleon dynamite's epic dance scene.
Viral Video of the Day: 100 Days of Dance | The Daily Beast Video | May 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But the poem set off tiny sticks of dynamite behind my eyes.
Dealing With Dad the Dealer | Tony Doukopil | April 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
dynamite, by the good fortune of invention, came to the revolutionary at the very moment when it was most wanted.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
He had thought he was amusing himself with a toy cannon, and he had fired a charge of dynamite.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke
Perhaps he helped to dynamite the barges and drive those Hessians out of town.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
The latter crouched there, frozen, hanging onto his hat as if it were a hunk of dynamite.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942 | Various
At the bow of this launch was a long spar, and at the end of this spar was a torpedo holding a hundred pounds of dynamite.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | Various

British Dictionary definitions for dynamite

dynamite

/ (ˈdaɪnəˌmaɪt) /

noun

an explosive consisting of nitroglycerine or ammonium nitrate mixed with kieselguhr, sawdust, or wood pulp
informal a spectacular or potentially dangerous person or thing

verb

(tr) to mine or blow up with dynamite

Origin of dynamite

C19 (coined by Alfred Nobel): from dynamo- + -ite 1

Derived forms of dynamite

dynamiter, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for dynamite

dynamite

[ dī′nə-mīt′ ]

A powerful explosive used in blasting and mining. It typically consists of nitroglycerin and a nitrate (especially sodium nitrate or ammonium nitrate), combined with an absorbent material that makes it safer to handle.

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