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
The bravura sixth episode depicts the Price sisters, incarcerated for detonating a car bomb in central London, stage a hunger strike in order to be moved into a prison back in Northern Ireland.
—
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2024
Law enforcement arrested Philippi on site at the plant in possession of the powered up drone moments before the explosive devices were set to detonate, according to court documents.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
So for instance, one character would have to apply the Overwhelmed debuff on an enemy as a primer in order to be detonated by another character that can detonate Overwhelmed enemies.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
In mid-September, Israel launched an unprecedented clandestine attack against Hezbollah — remotely detonating thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for detonate 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2024
Law enforcement arrested Philippi on site at the plant in possession of the powered up drone moments before the explosive devices were set to detonate, according to court documents.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
So for instance, one character would have to apply the Overwhelmed debuff on an enemy as a primer in order to be detonated by another character that can detonate Overwhelmed enemies.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
In mid-September, Israel launched an unprecedented clandestine attack against Hezbollah — remotely detonating thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for detonate
Dictionary Entries Near detonate
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detonate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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-
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share