detonate
verb
det·o·nate
ˈde-tᵊn-ˌāt 
ˈde-tə-ˌnāt
detonated; detonating
: to explode with sudden violence
1
: to cause to detonate
detonate a bomb
compare deflagrate
2
: to set off in a burst of activity : spark
programs that detonated controversies
Examples of detonate in a Sentence
The first atomic bomb was detonated in 1945.
the bomb detonated with a thunder that could be heard for blocks in all directions
Recent Examples on the Web
Philby died in 1988, by all reports a disillusioned man, but he’d already been killed off onscreen the year before in the opening moments of this Frederick Forsyth adaptation, in which a rogue branch of the KGB plots to build and detonate a bomb on British soil.
—
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
This combination of vulnerability and vengeance was compounded by the overnight news that, according to the Israeli security services, terrorists had detonated bombs on several buses across central Israel.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
The Chiefs’ Chris Jones was a defensive line menace who detonated the 49ers’ past two Super Bowl appearances.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2025
That a cooking gas cannister won’t detonate in error, and spark a shoot-out that breaks the peace permanently.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
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Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
This combination of vulnerability and vengeance was compounded by the overnight news that, according to the Israeli security services, terrorists had detonated bombs on several buses across central Israel.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
The Chiefs’ Chris Jones was a defensive line menace who detonated the 49ers’ past two Super Bowl appearances.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2025
That a cooking gas cannister won’t detonate in error, and spark a shoot-out that breaks the peace permanently.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detonate. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
detonate
verb
det·o·nate
ˈdet-ᵊn-ˌāt
ˈdet-ə-ˌnāt
detonated; detonating
: to explode or cause to explode with sudden violence
detonation
noun
ˌdet-ᵊn-ˈā-shən
ˌdet-ə-ˈnā-
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