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
The Royal Navy is testing how to use robots to seek out and detonate mines and other threats found near vital yet vulnerable undersea cables and pipelines at greater depths than a human diver can safely reach.
—
David Szondy
june 10, New Atlas, 10 June 2025
Torkelson smoothed out his swing, found his timing and detonated a blast that sent the ball crescendoing over the left-field fence.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 7 June 2025
In a post on Telegram, the SBU said its agents had mined the underwater supports of the bridge in an operation months in the planning, detonating the first device at 4:44 a.m.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
If Ukraine succeeded with its own version of the Manhattan Project, could that advance freeze the Kremlin’s campaign to take over the liberal enclave, without Kyiv ever having to detonate a single device?
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
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David Szondy
june 10, New Atlas, 10 June 2025
Torkelson smoothed out his swing, found his timing and detonated a blast that sent the ball crescendoing over the left-field fence.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 7 June 2025
In a post on Telegram, the SBU said its agents had mined the underwater supports of the bridge in an operation months in the planning, detonating the first device at 4:44 a.m.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
If Ukraine succeeded with its own version of the Manhattan Project, could that advance freeze the Kremlin’s campaign to take over the liberal enclave, without Kyiv ever having to detonate a single device?
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 1 June 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 18 Jun. 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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