implosion
Americannoun
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the act of imploding; a bursting inward (opposed to explosion).
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Phonetics.
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the occlusive phase of stop consonants.
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(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.
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the ingressive release of a suction stop.
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noun
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the act or process of imploding
the implosion of a light bulb
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phonetics the suction or inhalation of breath employed in the pronunciation of an ingressive consonant
Etymology
Origin of implosion
First recorded in 1875–80; im- 1 + (ex)plosion
Explanation
An implosion is the abrupt, violent collapse of something large. When an old building needs to be removed to make way for new structures, implosion is often used as a controlled way to destroy it. A real scientific implosion happens when the pressure inside and outside of an object vary so much that the object is crushed, or collapses in on itself. This can happen, for example, to a submarine under the water or to a collapsing star in the galaxy. The implosion of a building involves careful, small explosions that make the middle fall as the sides collapse inwardly.
Vocabulary lists containing implosion
The Graveyard Book
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Darius the Great Is Not Okay
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Grounded
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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.
Powell’s swearing in coincided with a 4.10% drop on Feb. 5, 2018 came during the so-called “Volmageddon,” a sudden implosion in volatility-linked investments.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
For low-cost carriers, gobbling up routes once served by Spirit is an opportunity to expand at a time when the high-profile implosion has raised questions around the budget business model.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
There's been no implosion, as some fans of the big two from Glasgow predicted.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Like Ted, Greg is also recovering from a long-ago divorce, but what forces him out of his shell is the implosion of his daughter’s.
From Salon • May 11, 2026
Beneath the debris I could hear the scrabble of tiny feet, some rodentine dark-dweller that had survived the implosion of its world.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
