detonate
verb /ˈdetəneɪt/
/ˈdetəneɪt/
[intransitive, transitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they detonate | /ˈdetəneɪt/ /ˈdetəneɪt/ |
| he / she / it detonates | /ˈdetəneɪts/ /ˈdetəneɪts/ |
| past simple detonated | /ˈdetəneɪtɪd/ /ˈdetəneɪtɪd/ |
| past participle detonated | /ˈdetəneɪtɪd/ /ˈdetəneɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form detonating | /ˈdetəneɪtɪŋ/ /ˈdetəneɪtɪŋ/ |
- detonate (something) to explode, or to make a bomb or other device explode
- Two other bombs failed to detonate.
- The terrorists planned to detonate the device when the shop was empty.
- The bomb was detonated by remote control.
Synonyms explodeexplodeTopics War and conflictc2- blow up
- go off
- burst
- erupt
- detonate
- explode to burst (= to break open or apart) loudly and violently, causing damage; to make something burst in this way:
- The jet smashed into a hillside and exploded.
- The bomb was exploded under controlled conditions.
- blow (something) up to be destroyed by an explosion; to destroy something by an explosion:
- A police officer was killed when his car blew up.
- go off (of a bomb) to explode; (of a gun) to be fired:
- The bomb went off in a crowded street.
- burst to break open or apart, especially because of pressure from inside; to make something break in this way:
- That balloon’s going to burst.
- erupt (of a volcano) to throw out burning rocks and smoke; (of burning rocks and smoke) to be thrown out of a volcano.
- detonate (rather formal) (of a bomb) to explode; to make a bomb explode:
- Two other bombs failed to detonate.
- a bomb explodes/blows up/goes off/bursts/detonates
- a car/plane/vehicle explodes/blows up
- a firework/rocket explodes/goes off
- a gun goes off
Oxford Collocations DictionaryDetonate is used with these nouns as the subject:- bomb
- bomb
- explosive
- mine
- …
Word Originearly 18th cent.: from Latin detonat- ‘thundered down or forth’, from the verb detonare, from de- ‘down’ + tonare ‘to thunder’.