implosion

American  

[im-ploh-zhuhn] / ɪmˈploʊ ʒən /

noun

1. the act of imploding; a bursting inward (opposed to explosion).

2. Phonetics.

   1. the occlusive phase of stop consonants.

   2. (of a stop consonant) the nasal release heard in the common pronunciation of eaten, sudden, or mitten, in which the vowel of the final syllable is greatly reduced.

   3. the ingressive release of a suction stop.

---

implosion British  

/ ɪmˈpləʊʒən /

noun

1. the act or process of imploding

   the implosion of a light bulb

2. phonetics the suction or inhalation of breath employed in the pronunciation of an ingressive consonant

---

Etymology

Origin of implosion

First recorded in 1875–80; im- ¹ + (ex)plosion

Explanation

An implosion is the abrupt, violent collapse of something large. When an old building needs to be removed to make way for new structures, implosion is often used as a controlled way to destroy it. A real scientific implosion happens when the pressure inside and outside of an object vary so much that the object is crushed, or collapses in on itself. This can happen, for example, to a submarine under the water or to a collapsing star in the galaxy. The implosion of a building involves careful, small explosions that make the middle fall as the sides collapse inwardly.

Example Sentences

Not even gold has provided sanctuary, with bullion on Thursday dropping to its cheapest since the early-February precious metal implosion.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

Borthwick's men then scored seven against Wales only five weeks ago, before an implosion with ball in hand began at Murrayfield.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

Evidence that Girardi, a power broker in California politics and the law, had misappropriated millions of dollars in settlement money from the Indonesians led to the implosion of his law firm five years ago.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

Argentina opens a trial on Tuesday into a submarine implosion that killed 44 sailors in November 2017, the country's worst naval disaster in decades, and whose circumstances remain unclear.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

He worked in a machine shop on the Hill, helping to build the super-precise explosive molds needed for the implosion bomb.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• bankruptcy
• breakdown
• collapse
• decline
• defeat
• deficiency
• deterioration
• failing
• loss
• misstep