explosion

noun

ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən How to pronounce explosion (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of exploding
injured in a laboratory explosion
2
: a large-scale, rapid, or spectacular expansion or bursting out or forth
the explosion of suburbia
an explosion of red hair
3
: the release of occluded breath that occurs in one kind of articulation of stop consonants

Examples of explosion in a Sentence

The filmmakers staged the car's explosion. The island was rocked by a series of volcanic explosions. The region has experienced a population explosion. His comments prompted an explosion of laughter from the crowd.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. when an explosion and underground fire in a manhole on Elm Street required a power shutdown to most of the capital region, according to Eversource and Tina Varona, spokesperson for Hartford Hospital. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024 The Los Angeles lawsuit recalls that Buzbee represented several victims of the 2005 explosion at BP's Texas refinery, which killed 15 workers and injured 180. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024 The explosion took place last Friday around 4 p.m. as authorities were responding to reports of a truck fire in Arlington Heights, about 25 miles northwest of downtown Chicago Arlington Heights Police Department had said in a news release. Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024 Atlanta trailed by a point midway through the third quarter before Minnesota’s offensive explosion and Cousins’ turnovers halted any hopes of a Falcons victory on the road. Ben Morse, CNN, 9 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for explosion 

Word History

Etymology

Latin explosion-, explosio act of driving off by clapping, from explodere

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of explosion was in 1681

Dictionary Entries Near explosion

Cite this Entry

“Explosion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explosion. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

explosion

noun
ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən How to pronounce explosion (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of exploding
2
: a violent outburst of feeling

Medical Definition

explosion

noun
ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən How to pronounce explosion (audio)
: the act or an instance of exploding

More from Merriam-Webster on explosion

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