detonate
verb
det·o·nate
ˈde-tᵊn-ˌāt 
ˈde-tə-ˌnāt
detonated; detonating
: to explode with sudden violence
1
: to cause to detonate
detonate a bomb
compare deflagrate
2
: to set off in a burst of activity : spark
programs that detonated controversies
Examples of detonate in a Sentence
The first atomic bomb was detonated in 1945.
the bomb detonated with a thunder that could be heard for blocks in all directions
Recent Examples on the Web
Many of the bombs dropped during that period did not detonate, remaining hidden beneath the ground until construction or development work brings them to light.
—
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2025
Season 2 followed the aftermath of the events in Season 1, which ended with a bomb being detonated in central London.
—Leia Mendoza, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
Instead, the redesign detonated a culture war.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
The shell was safely detonated in the woods near a local compost area by the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad the day it was found, authorities said.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
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Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2025
Season 2 followed the aftermath of the events in Season 1, which ended with a bomb being detonated in central London.
—Leia Mendoza, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
Instead, the redesign detonated a culture war.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
The shell was safely detonated in the woods near a local compost area by the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad the day it was found, authorities said.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detonate. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
detonate
verb
det·o·nate
ˈdet-ᵊn-ˌāt
ˈdet-ə-ˌnāt
detonated; detonating
: to explode or cause to explode with sudden violence
detonation
noun
ˌdet-ᵊn-ˈā-shən
ˌdet-ə-ˈnā-
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