explosion

noun

ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən 

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

Synonyms

• eruption
• detonation

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

The road closures and evacuation orders around the Esparto fireworks explosion site were lifted on Friday, allowing a closer look at the site where seven people were killed in the July 1 blast. —Nathaniel Levine, Sacbee.com, 19 July 2025

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has identified the three deputies killed in Friday’s training facility explosion at an East Los Angeles County training site. —Christina Shaw, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2025

The windows of an SUV cruiser located 75 feet from the site of the explosion were blown out. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 July 2025

The cause of the explosion is not known, the sheriff said. —Alex Stone, ABC News, 18 July 2025

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

Phrases Containing explosion

• population explosion

Rhymes for explosion

• corrosion
• erosion
• implosion

Kids Definition

explosion

noun

ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən 

1

: the act or an instance of exploding

2

: a violent outburst of feeling

Medical Definition

explosion

noun

ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən 

: the act or an instance of exploding