1
as in detonating
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
the building was wrecked when a powerful bomb exploded
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shattering
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
the bomb was so powerful that it exploded windows in several neighboring buildings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in erupting
to develop suddenly and violently
the mayor's latest unpopular decision caused long-suppressed resentment to explode into open anger
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of exploding
The overlapping relationships between the three, heightened by external narratives in the press and online, fester in isolation, eventually exploding into tragedy.
—
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Yoo thinks the company lost momentum after the 2016 Galaxy Note 7 crisis, when exploding batteries forced a massive recall.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2026
Talcove said the exploding SNAP fraud is due to a lack of action at the state and federal levels.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
Early this morning, military installations in Caracas started exploding.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
These two companies fit the bill and their order books are exploding.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
After four seasons of love sausages, exploding body parts, and supes climbing into other people's orifices, this is set to be the finale of all finales.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 2 Jan. 2026
The fight is happening against a backdrop of exploding import volumes and looming taxes aimed at slowing the flow.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 31 Dec. 2025
Demand has been exploding, and will continue to do so—and to meet it, utilities must scramble.
—Nick Bowlin, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Yoo thinks the company lost momentum after the 2016 Galaxy Note 7 crisis, when exploding batteries forced a massive recall.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2026
Talcove said the exploding SNAP fraud is due to a lack of action at the state and federal levels.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
Early this morning, military installations in Caracas started exploding.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
These two companies fit the bill and their order books are exploding.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
After four seasons of love sausages, exploding body parts, and supes climbing into other people's orifices, this is set to be the finale of all finales.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 2 Jan. 2026
The fight is happening against a backdrop of exploding import volumes and looming taxes aimed at slowing the flow.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 31 Dec. 2025
Demand has been exploding, and will continue to do so—and to meet it, utilities must scramble.
—Nick Bowlin, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploding
Verb
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In a post on Telegram, Kiper said a two-story residential building was damaged and that a drone hit an apartment on the 17th floor of a high-rise building without detonating.—
Illia Novikov,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Jan. 2026
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Jayme Thornton Crossfire’s approach of detonating water balloons in midair—which has yet to be patented so the team would not describe it in detail—could eventually change the calculation about how much suppressant is needed to fight fires.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
24 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Yet for all of Malinin’s athleticism and his Beamonesque ability to take flight what has been most telling in what has already been a world record-shattering Olympic season has been the maturity of his skating, the willingness to take emotional risks in his programs.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
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Bana and Rocha were among the 615 participants in the 27th annual Waukegan Polar Bear Plunge on Thursday at the Waukegan Municipal Beach, shattering the record of 540 set in 2024, and collectively raising more than $20,000 for Special Recreation Services of Northern Lake County.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The stadium of his archrival, once silent, was erupting.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
11 Jan. 2026
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By happenstance, the high risk report was released just as a scandal was erupting in Minnesota over widespread fraud in a program meant to keep children fed during the pandemic.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There are upscale restaurants from around the globe opening every week, and vinyl listening bars are popping up all over town, too.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2026
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Briggs New York Super Stretch Millennium Pull-On Pants Burgundy is the color of the moment, popping up on celebs like Mindy Kaling, Martha Stewart, and Lindsay Lohan.—
Jamie Allison Sanders,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By smashing together heavy atoms of lead traveling at near-light speeds using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), scientists can create a high-energy environment that briefly frees gluons and quarks from this atomic bondage, recreating the quark-gluon plasma of the early universe.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Repurposing waste heat The launch of the system marked the first time that the Large Hadron Collider, better known for smashing protons at near-light speeds, has been tapped as a renewable thermal source.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, California continued blowing money on a high-speed rail project that is years behind schedule and billions over budget, was bilked for billions in fraud, and funded an anti-homelessness bureaucracy with no accountability, among other things.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
26 Jan. 2026
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The idea is not only to speed up the time for AI systems to respond, but also to enable larger context windows, add quality checks on answers and keep AI features turned on for more users without blowing past budgets.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Crews are demolishing Westport infrastructure to construct an underground storage basin to hold water that previously would have flooded Westport buildings.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
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On Thursday morning, crews were nearly finished demolishing the adjacent structures, one of which was damaged by a fire in March 2024.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There’s a five-star spa, a hotel restaurant bursting with fecund plants, and soft, warm lighting.—
Jocelyn Silver,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
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The school still needs about $2 million to get it across the finish line — including the heavy lifting of bursting the seawall to create the inland lagoon that will host the mangroves.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exploding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploding. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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