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detonator

American  
[det-n-ey-ter] / ˈdɛt nˌeɪ tər /

noun

  1. a device, as a percussion cap, used to make another substance explode.

  2. something that explodes.

detonator British  
/ ˈdɛtəˌneɪtə /

noun

  1. a small amount of explosive, as in a percussion cap, used to initiate a larger explosion

  2. a device, such as an electrical generator, used to set off an explosion from a distance

  3. a substance or object that explodes or is capable of exploding

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of detonator

First recorded in 1815–25; detonate + -or 2

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.