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
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
Just before noon, an archeologist located what... Posted by Vancouver Police Department on Wednesday, February 26, 2025
The teams developed a plan to safely detonate the ordnance.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2025
The mine detonated, but the shrapnel missed Pavlov’s car—a good thing, in the end, Chervinsky said, because Pavlov’s wife was in the passenger seat.
—Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
President Trump's direct criticisms of Volodymyr Zelensky have detonated on Capitol Hill, where Republicans are torn between their loyalty to their president versus honoring their promises to Ukraine.
—Justin Green, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
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Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
Just before noon, an archeologist located what... Posted by Vancouver Police Department on Wednesday, February 26, 2025
The teams developed a plan to safely detonate the ordnance.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2025
The mine detonated, but the shrapnel missed Pavlov’s car—a good thing, in the end, Chervinsky said, because Pavlov’s wife was in the passenger seat.
—Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
President Trump's direct criticisms of Volodymyr Zelensky have detonated on Capitol Hill, where Republicans are torn between their loyalty to their president versus honoring their promises to Ukraine.
—Justin Green, Axios, 20 Feb. 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 23 Mar. 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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