implosion

American  

[im-ploh-zhuhn] / ɪmˈploʊ ʒən /

noun

1. the act of imploding; a bursting inward (explosion ).

2. Phonetics.

   1. the occlusive phase of stop consonants.

   2. (of a stop consonant) the nasal release heard in the common pronunciation of eaten, sudden, or mitten, in which the vowel of the final syllable is greatly reduced.

   3. the ingressive release of a suction stop.

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implosion British  

/ ɪmˈpləʊʒən /

noun

1. the act or process of imploding

   the implosion of a light bulb

2. phonetics the suction or inhalation of breath employed in the pronunciation of an ingressive consonant

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Etymology

Origin of implosion

First recorded in 1875–80; im- ¹ + (ex)plosion

Example Sentences

In what was billed as a golden chance to at least compete in this country, the tourists never recovered from an astonishing implosion to lose the first Test in Perth in two days.

From BBC

She was brought in to turn around one of the world’s biggest economic implosions in modern history.

From The Wall Street Journal

Harry Brook's dance, swipe and miss at Mitchell Starc from his first ball seemed witless in the moment, yet it was Brook's audacity that kept England from a complete implosion.

From BBC

Meanwhile, consumer and business confidence in China, already laid low by the implosion of a mega property bubble, is sinking further thanks to trade-war uncertainties.

From The Wall Street Journal

Global Crossing’s fall in the early 2000s became one of the signature implosions of the dot-com era.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bankruptcy
• breakdown
• collapse
• decline
• defeat
• deficiency
• deterioration
• failing
• loss
• misstep