implode
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to collapse or cause to collapse inwards in a violent manner as a result of external pressure
the vacuum flask imploded
-
(tr) to pronounce (a consonant) with or by implosion
Etymology
Origin of implode
Explanation
When something implodes, it explodes inward — instead of outward. With extremely large buildings, it helps to implode them rather than explode them, because by falling inward they take up less space. Why bother to have a word like implode when you already have explode? Well, imagine there is something deep beneath the sea, being subjected to the intense pressure there. If the pressure is high enough that the object bursts, it would collapse in rather than out. It would, in fact, implode. People also sometimes use implode to describe a person subjected to intense pressures who, emotionally at least, bursts inward: "All that stress just made Jess implode."
Vocabulary lists containing implode
100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
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50 Great Words from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
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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.
In 2008, it had to reverse course rapidly as banks imploded, and again in 2011 as the entire euro system threatened to implode.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
As history has proved, titans of industry often share a regrettable tendency to make a lot of money from leveraging enthusiasm and then leaving others to clean up the mess when the markets implode.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
They're waiting and waiting for the Premiership leaders to implode but there's little sign of it.
From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026
“I’ve watched companies implode for decades. This one has all the warning signs,” he wrote.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 21, 2026
After barely nibbling it, she thought her respiratory system was going to implode.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
