as in to explode
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
the bomb detonated with a thunder that could be heard for blocks in all directions
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detonate
The terror attack uncovered by the whistleblower involves a shipment of cell phones rigged with micro-explosives that can be detonated by an encrypted text message.
—
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 21 May 2025
At the same moment, Paul presses the button on a remote and detonates a bomb in O’Hara’s office, killing his men there.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 1 June 2025
An attacker opened fire on the Israeli Consulate in Munich in September, and two months later grenades were detonated near the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 22 May 2025
The bomb detonated outside American Reproductive Centers around 11 a.m. on Saturday.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 21 May 2025
At the same moment, Paul presses the button on a remote and detonates a bomb in O’Hara’s office, killing his men there.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 1 June 2025
An attacker opened fire on the Israeli Consulate in Munich in September, and two months later grenades were detonated near the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 22 May 2025
The bomb detonated outside American Reproductive Centers around 11 a.m. on Saturday.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonate
Verb
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The audience size hasn’t exploded, but the number of brands chasing them has.—
Waleed Najam,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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Flight Pan Am 103 was en route from Heathrow to JFK when a bomb exploded in its hold over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing 270 people, including 43 British citizens and 190 Americans.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Dort may not have picked up a foul on this particular play, part of a special second-half suffocation of Haliburton, but there are other moments like this when an official blows the whistle.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2025
Verb
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For example, as messages pop up on your home screen, the time display starts to shrink to accommodate them.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
9 June 2025
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The Virginia singer popped up on streamer DLOU’s Twitch earlier this week and found himself in an awkward situation.—
Angel Diaz,
Billboard,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonate. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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