exploding

present participle of explode
1
as in detonating
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure the building was wrecked when a powerful bomb exploded

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2
as in shattering
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive the bomb was so powerful that it exploded windows in several neighboring buildings

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3

Example 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 exploding Hezbollah's capabilities were badly damaged in the fighting - not least by a covert attack on Hezbollah operatives with exploding pagers, which resulted in over 30 deaths and thousands of injuries, including some civilians. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025 Exactly because production is exploding globally, so are efforts by a myriad of entities to facilitate all this exchange. John Tamny, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025 And the response to the SpaceX Starship rocket exploding is directly tied to this situation. Callum Booth, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025 But the vehicle's 171-foot-tall (52 meters) upper stage — called Starship or just Ship — experienced a serious problem shortly thereafter and ended up exploding over the Atlantic Ocean. Mike Wall, Space.com, 7 Mar. 2025 SpaceX staged an unintentional fireworks show above the Caribbean on Thursday when the eighth flight of its giant Starship rocket ended with the upper stage tumbling out of control, exploding, and leaving glowing trails of wreckage streaming through the upper atmosphere. Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 7 Mar. 2025 This marked the second consecutive test flight that ended in Starship—the largest space launch system ever built—exploding in flight. Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025 According to local outlet Cowboy State Daily, Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers also said that tires on vehicles at the scene were exploding from the heat generated from the fire. Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025 But today, the majority of streaming services are struggling with profitability, and the Peak TV era, a time when TV programming budgets kept exploding and led to iconic original series like Game of Thrones, is over. Ars Technica, 13 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploding
Verb
  • Videos showing green flames erupting from a manhole cover following an explosion at Texas Tech University have drawn wide attention online.
    Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Bursts of energy erupting from the Sun, like solar flares, can generate shocks in the solar wind current, leading to higher risks for geomagnetic storms.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Get ready to see more video content popping up in search results.
    William Arruda, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
  • South Florida healthcare expands into neighborhoods While Doral has seen an explosion of healthcare growth, medical centers, outpatient, urgent care and standalone emergency rooms are also popping up across South Florida as hospitals compete for patients.
    Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Since March 14, severe weather has left a trail of destruction, toppling trees, demolishing homes, and igniting wildfires, the Associated Press reported.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Education advocates and Democrats have condemned the move, and actually demolishing the agency would require an act of Congress.
    The Hill Staff, The Hill, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • At one point Harry Maguire tried to inject urgency, bursting forward with the ball and urging Alejandro Garnacho and Diogo Dalot to run ahead.
    Laurie Whitwell, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
  • An intellectually dense film bursting with ideas, some of them contradictory, some troubling, all of them provocative.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Online records show that Lamb was charged with homicide, kidnap-false imprisonment, evidence-destroying and procure for prostitute.
    Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • But if enacted, some of the ideas proposed also risk destroying a nascent private sector and worsening the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.
    Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Exploding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploding. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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