detonate

[ det-n-eyt ]

verb (used without object)

, det·o·nat·ed, det·o·nat·ing.

1. to explode with suddenness and violence.

verb (used with object)

, det·o·nat·ed, det·o·nat·ing.

1. to cause (something explosive) to explode.

detonate

/ ˈdɛtəˌneɪt /

verb

1. to cause (a bomb, mine, etc) to explode or (of a bomb, mine, etc) to explode; set off or be set off

Other Words From

• det·o·na·ble [det, -n-, uh, -b, uh, l], deto·nata·ble adjective
• deto·na·bili·ty deto·nata·bili·ty noun
• non·deto·nating adjective
• un·deto·nated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of detonate¹

1720–30; < Latin dētonātus thundered forth (past participle of dētonāre ), equivalent to dē- de- + ton ( āre ) to thunder + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of detonate¹

C18: from Latin dētonāre to thunder down, from de- + tonāre to thunder

Example Sentences

From August 2022 to January 2024, Filion made more than 375 “swatting” and threatening hoax calls, including calls in which he threatened to detonate bombs or conduct mass shootings at targeted locations, according to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

Another call was made in May 2023 to a predominantly Black college in Florida, in which he claimed to have placed bombs in the walls and ceilings of campus housing and threatened to detonate them in about an hour.

From Los Angeles Times

The six replacement forwards – an Anglo-Saxon answer to South Africa’s bomb squad – failed to detonate, falling foul of Gardner at scrums and breakdown.

From BBC

Mr Hadush’s officers have removed the fuses from some of the weapons they have found, but even so he says extreme heat or accidental fire could detonate them.

From BBC

Instead, HOPO’s drug, which can target uranium and plutonium — elements found in nuclear weapons before they detonate — is better equipped to protect bomb makers, nuclear plant operators and victims of “dirty bombs,” conventional explosions that scatter radioactive material to harm bystanders.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• blast
• blow up
• burst
• explode