detonate
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.
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
Commander Fox explains that mines generally fall into two categories: contact mines, which detonate when struck, and influence mines, which explode when sensors detect changes in sound, pressure or magnetism.
From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026
Former world number one Andy Roddick previously said there should be a "zone" for players to "detonate" after tough defeats.
From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026
Proximity fuses are designed to detonate in the air when they are a certain distance from a target, experts say.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025
Some of the mortar safety pins, which kept the priming mechanism from allowing the round to detonate on impact, had not been replaced.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
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Vocabulary lists containing detonate
A Separate Peace
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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All the Light We Cannot See
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