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 Defense Ministry said in a terse statement that soldiers discovered a bomb that was ready to be detonated in the central Bab Sharqi district of Damascus.
—
ABC News, 19 May 2026
One culminated last year with abject disaster, with Karl Lysinger detonating his Oak Park house and dying in the process, months after the home was auctioned.
—Graham Womack
may 18, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
Cody Brundage's 44-second R2 knockout over Andre Petroski was the fastest of the night, and Khaos Williams returned to form by detonating a right hand on Nikolay Veretennikov for a vintage first-round TKO.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
The device was secured and detonated by a multi-agency team of operators including personnel from the FBI Bomb Squad, Mobile Police Department Explosive Ordnance Detail, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Bomb Squad, MCSO and the Daphne Search and Rescue Team, according to MAWSS.
—Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonate
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ABC News, 19 May 2026
One culminated last year with abject disaster, with Karl Lysinger detonating his Oak Park house and dying in the process, months after the home was auctioned.
—Graham Womack
may 18, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
Cody Brundage's 44-second R2 knockout over Andre Petroski was the fastest of the night, and Khaos Williams returned to form by detonating a right hand on Nikolay Veretennikov for a vintage first-round TKO.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
The device was secured and detonated by a multi-agency team of operators including personnel from the FBI Bomb Squad, Mobile Police Department Explosive Ordnance Detail, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Bomb Squad, MCSO and the Daphne Search and Rescue Team, according to MAWSS.
—Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detonate. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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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