explosion

American  

[ik-sploh-zhuhn] / ɪkˈsploʊ ʒən /

noun

1. an act or instance of exploding; a violent expansion or bursting with noise, as of gunpowder or a boiler (implosion ).

2. the noise itself.

   The loud explosion woke them.

3. a violent outburst, as of laughter or anger.

4. a sudden, rapid, or great increase.

   a population explosion.

5. the burning of the mixture of fuel and air in an internal-combustion engine.

6. Phonetics.  plosion.

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explosion British  

/ ɪkˈspləʊʒən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of exploding

2. a violent release of energy resulting from a rapid chemical or nuclear reaction, esp one that produces a shock wave, loud noise, heat, and light Compare implosion

3. a sudden or violent outburst of activity, noise, emotion, etc

4. a rapid increase, esp in a population

5. phonetics another word for plosion

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explosion Scientific  

/ ĭk-splō′zhən /

1. A violent blowing apart or bursting caused by energy released from a very fast chemical reaction, a nuclear reaction, or the escape of gases under pressure.

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Other Word Forms

• postexplosion adjective
• preexplosion noun

Etymology

Origin of explosion

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin explōsiōn-, stem of explōsiō, from explōs(us) “driven off by clapping” (past participle of explōdere “to drive off by clapping, drive away”; explode ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

AFP journalists in Kyiv reported a night of intense explosions that kept many in the capital awake.

From Barron's

The AI space has seen “an explosion of activity” in the past few years, Benjamin Lee, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch

Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said both had suffered "explosions", telling private NTV television late Friday the tankers might have been hit a mine, or been struck by a rocket or a drone.

From Barron's

The two tankers, the Virat and the Kairos, were rocked by explosions in Turkey's coast late Friday, according to the Turkish transport ministry.

From Barron's

The exact cause of each of the explosions was unclear but Turkey’s transport minister said he had been informed that they were the result of “external impact.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• blast
• burst
• detonation
• firing
• outbreak
• outburst