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
At the same moment, Paul presses the button on a remote and detonates a bomb in O’Hara’s office, killing his men there.
—
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 1 June 2025
An attacker opened fire on the Israeli Consulate in Munich in September, and two months later grenades were detonated near the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 22 May 2025
The bomb detonated outside American Reproductive Centers around 11 a.m. on Saturday.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 18 May 2025
It was detonated in a test codenamed Ivy Mike at Enewetak Atoll in November 1952, yielding 10.4 megatons of TNT, the measurement that quantifies the force of nuclear weapons.
—/ Cbs News, CBS News, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
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Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 1 June 2025
An attacker opened fire on the Israeli Consulate in Munich in September, and two months later grenades were detonated near the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 22 May 2025
The bomb detonated outside American Reproductive Centers around 11 a.m. on Saturday.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 18 May 2025
It was detonated in a test codenamed Ivy Mike at Enewetak Atoll in November 1952, yielding 10.4 megatons of TNT, the measurement that quantifies the force of nuclear weapons.
—/ Cbs News, CBS News, 14 May 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 6 Jun. 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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