as in exploded
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as in popped
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 detonated
Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
In Lebanon and parts of Syria, Israel detonated thousands of pagers of Hezbollah officials and bombed the group’s headquarters in southern Beirut, killing its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
When news broke in 2013 that bombs packed with fireworks powder had detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon and Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were being hunted, executives at Phantom Fireworks did not wait for a phone call.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
One bomb was thrown, but never detonated.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
Fortunately, neither explosive device at Gracie Mansion actually detonated, and no one was hurt.
—Juliette Kayyem, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
Helenius detonated Carson Soucy and separated him from the puck below the goal line.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
Polymarket had also highlighted the bet on its official X account that day, tweeting that its market now predicted there was a 22 percent chance a nuclear weapon would be detonated this year.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 4 Mar. 2026
New Orleans center Karlo Matkovic tried to meet him at the rim, but was just a minor obstacle while Melton detonated at the rim with a powerful right-handed poster dunk reminiscent of his high-flyer days just a few years ago with the Memphis Grizzlies.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026
Verb
The disaster led to an extensive decontamination effort to clean up nuclear material dispersed when conventional explosives in the hydrogen bombs detonated after hitting the ground.
—Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
In Lebanon and parts of Syria, Israel detonated thousands of pagers of Hezbollah officials and bombed the group’s headquarters in southern Beirut, killing its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
When news broke in 2013 that bombs packed with fireworks powder had detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon and Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were being hunted, executives at Phantom Fireworks did not wait for a phone call.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
One bomb was thrown, but never detonated.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
Fortunately, neither explosive device at Gracie Mansion actually detonated, and no one was hurt.
—Juliette Kayyem, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
Helenius detonated Carson Soucy and separated him from the puck below the goal line.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
Polymarket had also highlighted the bet on its official X account that day, tweeting that its market now predicted there was a 22 percent chance a nuclear weapon would be detonated this year.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 4 Mar. 2026
New Orleans center Karlo Matkovic tried to meet him at the rim, but was just a minor obstacle while Melton detonated at the rim with a powerful right-handed poster dunk reminiscent of his high-flyer days just a few years ago with the Memphis Grizzlies.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonated
Adjective
-
Figure 2 shows an exploded view of this block (shown as part of the data pipeline in Figure 1).—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Instead, each page is just one fragment of an exploded jigsaw puzzle, and trying to assemble that puzzle without all the pieces (and without knowing what a complete picture should look like) is proving difficult for even the most seasoned experts on Epstein’s and Maxwell’s crimes.—
Amy Wallace,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As the vast landscape spread out below, filled with roaming herds and golden hues, our guest popped the question—creating a moment both magical and unforgettable.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
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One critique that popped up around One Battle had to do with the campaign’s strenuous avoidance of saying anything political.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Each earbud is made from polished aluminum and housed in a pearl-blasted charging case made from natural aluminum.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Shouldn't even be that hard to sharpen the blasted thing, let alone twist it.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Up big in the first half, blew the lead, lost.—
Ren Clayton,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The Horns, who blew a pair of must-win games and limped to an 18-13 finish of the regular season before a one-and-done SEC Tourney appearance, were the Last Team In in ESPN’s bracketology projection and could only hope that Joe Lunardi and the selection committee were in lock step.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The brand, which has more than 15 locations nationwide, is known for its smashed donuts, which are fresh, warm doughnut sandwiches with a cold ice cream center.—
Bailey Reed,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Mar. 2026
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There are fusion mashups that feel unmistakably American, like a smashed burger wrapped in paratha bread.—
Monti Carlo,
AJC.com,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Investigators also allegedly found broken glass scattered through the home, a shattered microwave, and bleach wipes and spray bottles.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
And then fraud, which, looking back, was inevitable given our shattered and incompetent leadership.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detonated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonated. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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