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Showing results for detonate. Search instead for detonierten.
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

The leaked Internal Affairs report said there was a mistaken “universal belief” within the bomb squad that the containment vessel could safely detonate up to 40 pounds of explosive materials.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 27, 2026

Alternatively, specialized ships or aircraft mimic the magnetic fields, pressure or noise created by a passing ship to detonate the mines before they can do any harm.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 17, 2026

After lowering a torpedo filled with nitroglycerin into the belly of the earth, the muddied workers would detonate it, occasionally turning up a fragment of an ancient American Indian spear or an arrowhead.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

She’s known for a soft, whispery vocal tone that occasionally detonates into a scream—here, it’s robotized via vocoder to suggest coldness and distance.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 11, 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

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 Apache was scanning the night sky for Iranian threats to commercial ships below shortly after 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday when the drone detonated directly in front of it, U.S. officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 13, 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

European and British authorities launched a joint investigation after several self-igniting parcels detonated in Germany, Poland and at a DHL depot in the UK in 2024.

From BBC Mar. 6, 2026

But on March I, 1954, a thermonuclear weapons test at Bikini in the Marshall Islands detonated at higher yield than expected.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

"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

In 2024, Los Angeles paid $21 million to resolve claims stemming from an incident three years prior where city police blew up a South L.A. neighborhood while detonating a cache of fireworks.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 25, 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

It intercepted the cannonball midair, detonating a massive fireball.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan




Vocabulary lists containing detonate


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