detonate
verb
det·o·nate
ˈde-tᵊn-ˌāt 
ˈde-tə-ˌnāt
detonated; detonating
: to explode with sudden violence
1
: to cause to detonate
detonate a bomb
compare deflagrate
2
: to set off in a burst of activity : spark
programs that detonated controversies
Examples of detonate in a Sentence
The first atomic bomb was detonated in 1945.
the bomb detonated with a thunder that could be heard for blocks in all directions
Recent Examples on the Web
On Wednesday, a suicide bomber disguised himself as a visitor to the Ministry of Refugees compound, detonating his bomb as Haqqani was signing paperwork, a ministry spokesperson told CNN.
—
Catherine Nicholls, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania were able to persuade a simulated self-driving car to ignore stop signs and even drive off a bridge, get a wheeled robot to find the best place to detonate a bomb, and force a four-legged robot to spy on people and enter restricted areas.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 4 Dec. 2024
Israel and Hezbollah kept up cross-border fire for nearly a year until Israel escalated with an attack that detonated hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2024
San Diego, 46, faces charges in the United States for allegedly planting two bombs that detonated about an hour apart on the morning of August 28, 2003, at a biotechnology company in Emeryville, California.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for detonate 
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Catherine Nicholls, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania were able to persuade a simulated self-driving car to ignore stop signs and even drive off a bridge, get a wheeled robot to find the best place to detonate a bomb, and force a four-legged robot to spy on people and enter restricted areas.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 4 Dec. 2024
Israel and Hezbollah kept up cross-border fire for nearly a year until Israel escalated with an attack that detonated hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2024
San Diego, 46, faces charges in the United States for allegedly planting two bombs that detonated about an hour apart on the morning of August 28, 2003, at a biotechnology company in Emeryville, California.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for detonate
Dictionary Entries Near detonate
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detonate. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
detonate
verb
det·o·nate
ˈdet-ᵊn-ˌāt
ˈdet-ə-ˌnāt
detonated; detonating
: to explode or cause to explode with sudden violence
detonation
noun
ˌdet-ᵊn-ˈā-shən
ˌdet-ə-ˈnā-
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