explosion

American  

[ik-sploh-zhuhn] / ɪkˈsploʊ ʒən /

noun

• explosions
  plural

1. an act or instance of exploding; a violent expansion or bursting with noise, as of gunpowder or a boiler (opposed to implosion).

2. the noise itself.

   The loud explosion woke them.

3. a violent outburst, as of laughter or anger.

4. a sudden, rapid, or great increase.

   a population explosion.

5. the burning of the mixture of fuel and air in an internal-combustion engine.

6. Phonetics. plosion.

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explosion British  

/ ɪkˈspləʊʒən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of exploding

2. a violent release of energy resulting from a rapid chemical or nuclear reaction, esp one that produces a shock wave, loud noise, heat, and light Compare implosion

3. a sudden or violent outburst of activity, noise, emotion, etc

4. a rapid increase, esp in a population

5. phonetics another word for plosion

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explosion Scientific  

/ ĭk-splō′zhən /

1. A violent blowing apart or bursting caused by energy released from a very fast chemical reaction, a nuclear reaction, or the escape of gases under pressure.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preexplosion
  noun
• postexplosion
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• explosions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of explosion

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin explōsiōn-, stem of explōsiō, from explōs(us) “driven off by clapping” (past participle of explōdere “to drive off by clapping, drive away”; see explode) + -iō -ion

Explanation

Whether it's a bursting balloon or a detonating bomb, you're sure to notice an explosion. An explosion involves a sudden and often violent burst of energy. The noun explosion is useful when you're talking about a watermelon smashing on the pavement or the burst of fireworks overhead, but it can also describe a sudden increase in something, like an explosion of excitement at a birthday party when the pony arrives. Originally, explosion was used to mean "scornful rejection," from its root in the Latin explodere, "hiss off the stage," and a disappointed audience today might still be described as "exploding with boos."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

explosion explosions

Observations from Keck Observatory, Magellan Observatory, and the Very Large Telescope showed no recognizable chemical signatures during the first month after the explosion.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Like the rest of the nation, California has seen a remarkable explosion in demand for electricity, driven in large part by the rise of artificial intelligence data centers, electric vehicles and building electrification.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Inside the beverage industry, Infante says one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the explosion of nonalcoholic drinks is that they’re replacing alcohol altogether.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

National Highways said 15 crews had been at the scene and the motorway had been closed because of the risk of a "secondary explosion, along with smoke and debris affecting the carriageway".

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

A man named Toru Anzai, who lived in the town of Iitate, a full 25 miles northwest of the Fukushima plant, later remembered the explosion at reactor 4.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

The ship was rocked by explosions, a maritime security firm told AFP, but the cause of the blasts is unclear.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Buskers perform on the city's famous Potemkin Stairs, while sunbathers barely flinch as the sirens sound and explosions rumble in the distance.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The Sun is constantly spewing out matter and charged particles, sometimes unleashing full-blown solar storms that shoot out giant explosions of plasma and other matter.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

In his telling, the combination made him conceited and aggrieved and accounted for the bizarre explosions of rage that punctuated his youth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

And they are nuclear explosions billions of miles away.

From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon

Related Words

• blast
• burst
• detonation
• firing
• outbreak
• outburst