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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Recent Examples of detonate
Trump has declared an all-out war on globalism, detonating every one of America's trading relationships — allies and adversaries alike — by imposing the largest tariffs in nearly a century.
—
Axios, 9 Apr. 2025
Then, the supernova explosion — one with more power than a thousand trillion trillion nuclear bombs — will detonate.
—Julian Dossett, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Warfare plots, in real time, a surveillance mission in Ramadi gone awry when nearby Al Qaeda insurgents detonate a series of IEDs outside a housing building which the team has taken over.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
Just before her head reached the Hot Topics table, Sara Haines reached over to help her colleague regain composure, while the Ghost actress enthusiastically hit her iconic bell to signal for further help in detonating the conversation before things moved on.
—EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Axios, 9 Apr. 2025
Then, the supernova explosion — one with more power than a thousand trillion trillion nuclear bombs — will detonate.
—Julian Dossett, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Warfare plots, in real time, a surveillance mission in Ramadi gone awry when nearby Al Qaeda insurgents detonate a series of IEDs outside a housing building which the team has taken over.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
Just before her head reached the Hot Topics table, Sara Haines reached over to help her colleague regain composure, while the Ghost actress enthusiastically hit her iconic bell to signal for further help in detonating the conversation before things moved on.
—EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonate
Verb
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World & Nation Measles cases exploded in Texas after stagnant vaccine funding.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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Stateside, family moviegoing always explodes post-Christmas, and that’s when Mufasa began to show his claws against Sonic.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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April 17, 2025 The wind gusts could blow around unsecured objects and a few power outages may occur, the National Weather Service advised.—
Ashley Fredde,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Apr. 2025
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Since Combs' last pretrial court appearance on April 18, only a handful of entries have popped up in the New York federal case.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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While no one is balking at Lithgow, an American actor, playing the beloved Hogwarts headmaster, a wave of angry comments have popped up across various HBO socials, where fans of the book are protesting Essiedu’s casting.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonate. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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