detonation

American  

[det-n-ey-shuhn] / ˌdɛt nˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of detonating.

2. an explosion.

3. Machinery. the premature spontaneous burning of a fuel–air mixture in an internal-combustion engine due to the high temperature of air compressed in a cylinder.

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Other Word Forms

• detonative adjective

Etymology

Origin of detonation

1670–80; < Medieval Latin dētonātiōn- (stem of dētonātiō ), equivalent to Latin dētonāt ( us ) ( detonate ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

"What happens when a warrior comes against a freak of nature? Derek comes to fight, but I'm coming with detonation," Wilder said.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Polymarket alone has hosted what Bloomberg estimated as more than $500m in bets related to the Iran war, at one point offering an opportunity to play the odds on the chance of nuclear detonation.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

Textron’s tech can also trick mine sensors into thinking a large boat is passing, triggering a relatively safe detonation.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

ICF allows scientists to replicate and study the effects of nuclear weapons, including how materials behave under the same extreme temperatures and pressures found inside a nuclear detonation, without an actual nuclear test.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

An infinitesimal fraction of a second prior to the bomb’s detonation, two particles collide with such fierce velocity that they form a micro singularity—a black hole too small to see with the naked eye.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

Related Words

• ignition