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Definitions

detonate

[det-n-ayt] / 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.

See Examples For:

But it was also a sign of an explosive problem for the industry that was about to detonate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

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

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

"Pulling real users into generated photos without explicit consent is a privacy landmine waiting to detonate," one user wrote on X, external.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 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

My water powers would protect us both, and we’d detonate the charges from a quarter mile away.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

But every year, as wrapping paper detonates across the living room and a small mountain of objects emerges—some beloved, some baffling—I have the same unseasonal thought: This is wildly inefficient.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

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

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

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2025

He detonates narrative warfare wherever he goes, so it’s difficult to decipher what is planted to create spectacle to feed the mangy cult and what is a true trash fire of a human.

From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2024

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

The American strike came days after President Trump said the U.S. had removed or detonated all mines in the waterway and warned that any vessel laying new ones would be destroyed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

In June 1981, before becoming president, he survived a bombing claimed by the Mujahedin-e Khalq group, when an explosive device concealed in a tape recorder detonated during a speech.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 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

Judging from the ringing in Leo’s ears, the dwarf had detonated the flash-bang grenade, which Leo had filled with a rare vial of Apollo’s music, pure liquid extract.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

"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

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

Each round is about 2 feet long and essentially a very big bullet, made of up a detonating fuse, projectile, propellant and primer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025

The detonating device was publication of a letter Jefferson had written in 1801 to Joseph Priestley, the English scientist and renowned critic of Christianity.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis


Vocabulary lists containing detonate

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