as in explosion
the act or an instance of exploding
there was a series of detonations around the base of the condemned building, causing it to come crashing down in a matter of minutes
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Recent Examples of detonation
The energy imparted would have been equivalent to 6 million tons of TNT, or basically a large nuclear detonation.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 5 Mar. 2026
Given the prospect of nuclear war, humanity’s arsenal could indeed wipe out every living human on Earth from detonations and the ensuing fallout.
—Big Think, 4 Mar. 2026
The Wall Street Journal reported that the nuclear detonation bet had spiked in popularity after the US and Israel’s deadly strikes in Iran.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 4 Mar. 2026
Eventually, Mazda figured out how to prevent knock (unintended combustion, aka detonation) with gasoline in a higher compression cylinder.
—New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonation
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 5 Mar. 2026
Given the prospect of nuclear war, humanity’s arsenal could indeed wipe out every living human on Earth from detonations and the ensuing fallout.
—Big Think, 4 Mar. 2026
The Wall Street Journal reported that the nuclear detonation bet had spiked in popularity after the US and Israel’s deadly strikes in Iran.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 4 Mar. 2026
Eventually, Mazda figured out how to prevent knock (unintended combustion, aka detonation) with gasoline in a higher compression cylinder.
—New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonation
Noun
-
Days after the explosion, Amin called his mother in Iran again, with better news.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
However, an oxygen-tank explosion 56 hours after launch scotched those plans and put the mission into survival mode.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The last eruption of nationwide gatherings in October drew approximately 7 million people, according to their tally.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Mar. 2026
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Aurora chasers will also be getting excited about the prospect of a possible glancing blow from the speedy CME released during the eruption.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detonation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonation. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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