high explosive

noun

1. a class of explosive, as TNT, in which the reaction is so rapid as to be practically instantaneous, used in shells and bombs.

high explosive

noun

1. an extremely powerful chemical explosive, such as TNT or gelignite

Other Words From

• high-ex·plosive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of high explosive¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Gordon was told to drive a three-tonne truck loaded with three quarters of a tonne of high explosive shells and 200 gallons of petrol.

From BBC

In a single day, August 22, the French lost 27,000 men, most of them shot dead by machine guns and long-range rifles or blown to bits by shrapnel and high explosives.

From Literature

These include the FAB glide bomb, an adapted Soviet-era "dumb bomb" fitted with fins, GPS guidance and 1500kg of high explosive, that is wreaking havoc on Ukrainian defences.

From BBC

It prompted more warnings from Israel's allies that it should change the way it is fighting the war against Hamas to spare civilians from death from either high explosive or hunger.

From BBC

As plutonium is compressed with the high explosives, a detector will convert the X-rays into images recorded by a sensitive camera that can capture images at speeds of 1 billion per second.

From Washington Times