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Definitions

detonate

[det-n-eyt] / ˈdɛt nˌeɪt /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Their explosive payloads did not detonate, and it’s entirely possible they were never meant to.

From Salon Sep. 7, 2026

An attempt to detonate or diffuse the bomb failed, so Officer Brian Murray and three others were lowered into the crater.

From Slate Jul. 7, 2026

According to the leaked file reviewed by The Times, the LAPD’s internal investigators found Hogg made a “gross underestimation” of the explosive weight of the fireworks that police intended to detonate.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 27, 2026

If “One of Us” is an entertaining family saga of privilege and comeuppance, it is also a consummate novel of suspense in which revelations detonate with lethal accuracy.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 13, 2026

“The Sixers must have bought it when it went up for auction a few years ago. And they’ve been sitting on it all this time, waiting for the perfect moment to detonate it.”

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

When roughly a mile from its target, it uses artificial intelligence to lock onto the target and detonates nearby, according to its users.

From The Wall Street Journal May 13, 2026

In these events, an incoming object such as a comet detonates above the ground, releasing intense heat and shockwaves that reach Earth's surface.

From Science Daily Dec. 19, 2025

No one detonates a room with honesty and irritation quite like Bill Burr, and his latest, “Drop Dead Years,” shows the comedian in his fully evolved form.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 10, 2025

If Wilder detonates early and finishes Herndon quicker than Torrez did, expect someone somewhere to shout: "He's back!"

From BBC Jun. 27, 2025

Halftime Right after you glance at April waving from the bleachers, your stomach detonates: KABOOM! and you lose it right there behind the bench in Pernell’s gym bag.

From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander

When munitions are detonated underwater, the blast can spread contaminants through the surrounding environment.

From Science Daily Sep. 14, 2026

Video footage on social media showed large secondary explosions, suggesting stored ammunition was detonated.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 6, 2026

Instead, the round detonated prematurely at 453 meters, or about 1,486 feet, in the air, around 3,300 feet from its firing location, according to the report.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 16, 2026

It has been alleged in court that Adams is as "culpable" for the attacks as those who planted and detonated the bombs.

From BBC Mar. 10, 2026

Indeed it was seeing her in Shakespeare’s play at the Paris Odeon that detonated the infatuation in the first place.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

"It depends on the area where the wreck and munitions lie. Currents and seabed morphology play a major role. In some cases, detonating them can do more harm than good," she explains.

From Science Daily Sep. 14, 2026

After safely detonating the device at another location, the police informed Ewan that the device was a practice bomb used to send flare signals 20,000 ft in the air.

From BBC May 28, 2026

The drone, designed by Perennial Autonomy, a company backed by former Google CEO and billionaire Eric Schmidt using Ukrainian engineers, destroys other drones by detonating close by and has proven popular in Ukraine.

From The Wall Street Journal May 13, 2026

If your goal is to save money on taxes, detonating the tax torpedo is not ideal.

From MarketWatch May 8, 2026

As I was preparing for this book, I wrote an article for The Daily Telegraph, hoping to elicit a few punctuation horror stories, and it was like detonating a dam.

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author




Vocabulary lists containing detonate


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