as in explosion
the act or an instance of exploding
there was a series of detonations around the base of the condemned building, causing it to come crashing down in a matter of minutes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of detonation
That followed a stunning Israeli intelligence operation that involved the remote detonation of pagers and Walkie-Talkies used by Hezbollah, and killed more than 40 people and wounded thousands of others.
—
Jacob Knutson, Axios, 24 Sep. 2024
Following the detonation of the two Russian BM-21 Grad systems, a Russian military blogger alleged that Ukraine used HIMARS to fire the GLSDB.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
Hezbollah spy hunters killed Simultaneously, in Lebanon, Hezbollah began conducting a major investigation to purge Israeli spies among them, questioning hundreds of members after the pager detonations, three sources in Lebanon told Reuters.
—Samia Nakhoul and Laila Bassam, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
The most tenuous part of a possible World War III is the potential that the conflict escalates to a nuclear detonation.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for detonation 
Jacob Knutson, Axios, 24 Sep. 2024
Following the detonation of the two Russian BM-21 Grad systems, a Russian military blogger alleged that Ukraine used HIMARS to fire the GLSDB.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
Hezbollah spy hunters killed Simultaneously, in Lebanon, Hezbollah began conducting a major investigation to purge Israeli spies among them, questioning hundreds of members after the pager detonations, three sources in Lebanon told Reuters.
—Samia Nakhoul and Laila Bassam, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
The most tenuous part of a possible World War III is the potential that the conflict escalates to a nuclear detonation.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for detonation
Thesaurus Entries Near detonation
Cite this Entry
“Detonation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonation. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share