plosive

noun

plo·​sive ˈplō-siv How to pronounce plosive (audio)
plosive adjective

Examples of plosive in a Sentence

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 report, with the alliterative plosives of its title raining down like flecks of spit, was an opening volley in the fight to rouse sleepy bureaucrats and put them on notice. Charlie Tyson, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025 To prevent pops and plosives, beyerdynamic built a pop filter into the M 70 PRO X with a foam layer to protect the capsule. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2023 This is because the G sound is plosive, a consonant that is spoken by stopping the airflow in your mouth. Matt Simon, Wired, 27 May 2020 The plosives and fricatives of a complex word, the specific place your lips meet or don't to shape and push out a puff of air that carries a sound. Julie Muncy, Wired, 5 Feb. 2020 There’s something about the sound of it that is sonically shocking — the juxtaposition of two harsh plosives in a string of so few letters. Jessica Bennett, New York Times, 2 June 2018

Word History

Etymology

short for explosive

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plosive was in 1897

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Cite this Entry

“Plosive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plosive. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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