explosion

noun

ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən How to pronounce explosion (audio)
Synonyms of explosionnext
1
: the act or an instance of exploding
injured in a laboratory explosion
2
: a large-scale, rapid, or spectacular expansion or bursting out or forth
the explosion of suburbia
an explosion of red hair
3
: the release of occluded breath that occurs in one kind of articulation of stop consonants

Examples of explosion in a Sentence

The filmmakers staged the car's explosion. The island was rocked by a series of volcanic explosions. The region has experienced a population explosion. His comments prompted an explosion of laughter from the crowd.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Then, in October, the pace picked up; over just a few days, a series of explosions wrecked a police monument in Chicago, the Marin County Hall of Justice, a Queens courthouse, and the Harvard Center for International Affairs. Literary Hub, 19 May 2026 Experiments like Strachey’s were part of an explosion of postwar research on the relationship between mathematics and language, expressions of a broader fascination with the automation of knowledge, which crossed disciplines and suffused the culture. Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 18 May 2026 That explosion, caused by friction as the meteor hurtled through the atmosphere, released 30 times more energy than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, according to NASA. Denise Chow, NBC news, 18 May 2026 The third-year students spent nearly a year developing and refining the engine, which runs through continuous rotating explosions in a circular chamber. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for explosion

Word History

Etymology

Latin explosion-, explosio act of driving off by clapping, from explodere

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of explosion was in 1681

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Explosion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explosion. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

explosion

noun
ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən How to pronounce explosion (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of exploding
2
: a violent outburst of feeling

Medical Definition

explosion

noun
ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən How to pronounce explosion (audio)
: the act or an instance of exploding

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