implode
[im-plohd]
- to burst inward (opposed to explode).
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- Phonetics. to pronounce by implosion.
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Origin of implode
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for implode
Contemporary Examples
The opening bluff in this game has already been called—the economy will not implode next week due to the sequester cuts.
The Tea Party would prefer “burn baby burn,” for the rotten edifice to implode so that a new one can be built in its place.
Contrary to what many are now predicting, Europe—reeling though it is—will not implode.
Facing insolvency, can the USPS reinvent itself like European services have—or will it implode?
Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq will begin to implode, confronting Mr. Obama with the deadly choice: cut losses or drown.
Historical Examples
Technically, they did not explode but implode, but the hood with the revolver did not notice the difference.
The Ambulance Made Two TripsWilliam Fitzgerald Jenkins
implode
- to collapse or cause to collapse inwards in a violent manner as a result of external pressurethe vacuum flask imploded
- (tr) to pronounce (a consonant) with or by implosion
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Compare explode
Word Origin
C19: from im- + (ex) plode
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
Word Origin and History for implode
v.
1870 (implied in imploded), back-formation from implosion. Related: Imploding.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper