explosion
noun
ex·plo·sion
ik-ˈsplō-zhən 
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
Seven months later, just eleven kilometres from the coral garden, a blowout on BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig caused an explosion that killed eleven workers and sent oil gushing up from the seafloor.
—
Jeffrey Marlow, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Predators disappeared, resulting in an explosion in deer, further degrading the woodlands and peatlands.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2026
Authorities reinforced security around Jewish sites in the wake of explosions last month outside synagogues in Liege, Belgium, and the Dutch port city of Rotterdam and outside a Jewish school in Amsterdam.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
During the Cambrian explosion, animals with a wide range of bizarre structures and adaptations emerged.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explosion
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Jeffrey Marlow, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Predators disappeared, resulting in an explosion in deer, further degrading the woodlands and peatlands.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2026
Authorities reinforced security around Jewish sites in the wake of explosions last month outside synagogues in Liege, Belgium, and the Dutch port city of Rotterdam and outside a Jewish school in Amsterdam.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
During the Cambrian explosion, animals with a wide range of bizarre structures and adaptations emerged.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explosion
Cite this Entry
“Explosion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explosion. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
explosion
noun
ex·plo·sion
ik-ˈsplō-zhən
1
: the act or an instance of exploding
2
: a violent outburst of feeling
Medical Definition
explosion
noun
ex·plo·sion
ik-ˈsplō-zhən
: the act or an instance of exploding
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