high explosive

American  

noun

1. a class of explosive, as TNT, in which the reaction is so rapid as to be practically instantaneous, used in shells and bombs.

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high explosive British  

noun

1. an extremely powerful chemical explosive, such as TNT or gelignite

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Other Word Forms

• high-explosive adjective

Etymology

Origin of high explosive

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Two weeks into the war, Iran still has the capacity to launch large numbers of low-cost, high explosive drones at its Gulf Arab neighbours as well as at shipping vessels.

From BBC

Camp Pendleton advised nearby residents that there will be live-fire training with high explosive munitions through Sunday, which will result in some roads on base being closed.

From Los Angeles Times

The company's Facebook page says it manufactures "various high explosive compositions and specialty products" for the US Department of Defense as well as US industrial markets.

From Barron's

Gordon was told to drive a three-tonne truck loaded with three quarters of a tonne of high explosive shells and 200 gallons of petrol.

From BBC

As plutonium is compressed with the high explosives, a detector will convert the X-rays into images recorded by a sensitive camera that can capture images at speeds of 1 billion per second.

From Washington Times