explode
Americanverb (used without object)
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explodes,
present (3rd person singular)
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exploded,
past participle, past
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exploding
present participle
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to expand with force and noise because of rapid chemical change or decomposition, as gunpowder or nitroglycerine (opposed to implode).
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to burst, fly into pieces, or break up violently with a loud report, as a boiler from excessive pressure of steam.
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to burst forth violently or emotionally, especially with noise, laughter, violent speech, etc..
He exploded with rage when contradicted.
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Phonetics. (of plosives) to terminate the occlusive phase with a plosion.
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Golf. to play an explosion shot on a golf ball.
verb (used with object)
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explodes,
present (3rd person singular)
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exploded,
past participle, past
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exploding
present participle
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to cause (gunpowder, a boiler, etc.) to explode.
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to cause to be rejected; destroy the repute of; discredit or disprove.
to explode a theory.
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Phonetics. to end with plosion.
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Golf. to play an explosion shot on (a golf ball).
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Obsolete. to drive (a player, play, etc.) from the stage by loud expressions of disapprobation.
verb
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to burst or cause to burst with great violence as a result of internal pressure, esp through the detonation of an explosive; blow up
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to destroy or be destroyed in this manner
to explode a bridge
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(of a gas) to undergo or cause (a gas) to undergo a sudden violent expansion, accompanied by heat, light, a shock wave, and a loud noise, as a result of a fast uncontrolled exothermic chemical or nuclear reaction
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(intr) to react suddenly or violently with emotion, etc
to explode with anger
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(intr) (esp of a population) to increase rapidly
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(tr) to show (a theory, etc) to be baseless; refute and make obsolete
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(tr) phonetics to pronounce (a stop) with audible plosion
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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explodesimple
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explodessimple
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have explodedperfect
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has explodedperfect
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am explodingprogressive
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are explodingprogressive
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is explodingprogressive
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have been explodingperfect progressive
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has been explodingperfect progressive
Past
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explodedsimple
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had explodedperfect
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was explodingprogressive
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were explodingprogressive
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had been explodingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of explode
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin explōdere “to drive off by clapping, drive away,” from ex- ex- 1 + -plōdere, variant stem of plaudere “to clap” ( cf. applaud)
Explanation
Anything and anyone can explode — that is, produce a violent, sudden and usually very loud release of energy. Explode's two most common meanings refer to a physically destructive act, most commonly a bomb going off, or metaphorically, as in your parents' sudden fury when they see your end-of-year grades. Originally explode meant something quite different — to drive an unpleasing actor or group of performers from the stage by clapping and booing. (From the Latin words ex, meaning "out," and plaudere, "to clap one's hands.") Those ancient Greek and Roman crowds were tough.
Vocabulary lists containing explode
Brown Girl Dreaming
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"Raymond's Run"
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"Analysis of Baseball" and "Singing and Stretching"
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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.
See Examples For:
But while tech analysts on Wall Street expect cash flows to explode in 2028, that same optimism isn’t reflected by analysts covering other sectors.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Two decades ago, Juventus landed at the center of a sweeping match-fixing scandal in Italy known as Calciopoli, which happened to explode in the middle of the 2006 World Cup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
“My fire chief says that all vegetation, native or otherwise, is fuel that could explode in a fire,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Footage of fires caused by e-bikes and e-scooters show how quickly the vehicles can start smoking and then apparently explode, causing blazes that spread within minutes.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
So Sam, Ford, and I sit around, waiting for her to explode.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
Liam grabs Noel's hand and thrusts it into the air, they launch into the opening chords of Hello, and the crowd practically explodes with joy.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Video released by the US-based NGO Beneath The Waves shows one orca holding the tail of a sunfish, with its fellow whale then charging with full force into the rotund mola, which explodes into pieces.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
“You don’t want an air bag that explodes, and you don’t want an air bag that under-inflates,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
But traipse past the principal’s office, scale a short incline, and you’ll be rewarded with an 80-foot-long mural that explodes with color.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
A scream crawls its way from my throat and explodes loudly.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Covid-19 dropped out of the top 10 leading causes of death for the first time since the pandemic exploded.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
“The amount of money in the system exploded, inflation rose, bond yields started to creep up and bond prices came down, and they haven’t recovered.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
There’s also the habeas side of things, and there’s been a lot of reporting about how habeas litigation has totally exploded, especially in this past year, and that’s based on where an individual is detained.
From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026
Long-simmering worries about the technology’s potential dangers have exploded into global consciousness since Jacob Coxon’s dire warning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Did you hit your head when the grapes exploded?
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
The so-called lock-in effect, where people hold on to ultralow-rate mortgages obtained during the pandemic, “is creating a supply floor which will keep inventory from exploding and will keep prices from dropping dramatically,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Good news: Business activity is quickly changing this year and is exploding upward, at double-digit rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
"They emerged from Britain's underground rave scene before exploding onto the global stage, tearing down the boundaries between rave, electronic music and punk along the way."
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The University of Southampton-led team says it found a key problem in the way the earlier study estimated the ages of the exploding stars.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
Head exploding, I can’t wait to talk with Coach.
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
