TNT

or T.N.T.

Chemistry. a yellow, crystalline, water-insoluble, flammable solid, C7H5N3O6, derived from toluene by nitration, a high explosive unaffected by ordinary friction or shock: used chiefly in military and other explosive devices, and as an intermediate in the preparation of dye-stuffs and photographic chemicals.

Origin of TNT

First recorded in 1910–15

Also called trinitrotoluene, trinitrotoluol, methyltrinitrobenzene, trotyl.

TNT

Trademark.

Turner Network Television: a cable television channel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for tnt

nitroglycerin, bomb, mine, missile, powder, ammunition, detonator, dynamite, gunpowder, gelignite, trinitrotoluene, grease, shot, grenade, charge, shell, fireworks, soup, pineapple

Examples from the Web for tnt

Contemporary Examples of tnt

It was later revived on TNT for four more seasons before the network announced its cancellation on May 10, 2013.
Ben McKenzie’s Journey From Reluctant Teen Idol on ‘The O.C.’ to Sheriff of ‘Gotham’
Marlow Stern
November 4, 2014
Dwyane knew he’d get made fun of on [TNT‘S] ‘Inside (the) NBA,’ but he still wore it and wore it well.
NBA Style: Full-Court Dress
Erin Cunningham
May 11, 2014
Weisberg: I was sitting in my hotel in Los Angeles and I was working on a show called Falling Skies on TNT.
‘The Americans’ Showrunners Dissect the Secrets of Season 2
Andrew Romano
February 27, 2014
TNT stepped in to save the show, and that decision, at least creatively, has paid off.
‘Southland’: Television’s Most Underrated Drama
Jace Lacob
February 20, 2013
“We are going to need a lot of TNT of dynamite,” Nafis said, according to the complaint.
Undercover Muslim Agents: Mission Accomplished
Michael Daly
October 19, 2012

Historical Examples of tnt

Yields from 45,000 tons of TNT to zero were selected by the various bettors.
Trinity [Atomic Test] Site
The National Atomic Museum
A pound of the stuff would be the equivalent of nearly seven tons of TNT.
Unwise Child
Gordon Randall Garrett
What could his thoughts have been, lying tied up on the living room floor waiting for twenty tons of TNT to go off?
The Double Spy
Dan T. Moore
The scientists were sure the TNT would explode, but were initially unsure of the plutonium.
Trinity [Atomic test] Site
White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs Office
They stacked 100 tons of TNT onto a 20-foot wooden platform just southeast of ground zero.
Trinity [Atomic test] Site
White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs Office

British Dictionary definitions for tnt

TNT

noun

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene; a yellow solid: used chiefly as a high explosive and is also an intermediate in the manufacture of dyestuffs. Formula: CH 3 C 6 H 2 (NO 2) 3

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 tnt

TNT

1915, abbreviation of trinitrotoluene (1908).

tnt in Science

TNT

[tē′ĕn-tē′]

Short for trinitrotoluene. A yellow, crystalline compound used mainly as an explosive. As it can only explode by means of a detonator and is not affected by shock, it is safe to handle and is used especially in munitions and for demolitions. Chemical formula: C7H5N3O6.