Detonate Definition

dĕtn-āt
detonated, detonates, detonating
verb
detonated, detonates, detonating
To explode or cause to explode.
American Heritage
To explode violently and noisily.
Webster's New World
To cause (a bomb, dynamite, etc.) to explode.
Webster's New World

(intransitive) To explode; to blow up. Specifically, to combust supersonically via shock compression.

Wiktionary
Synonyms:
Antonyms:

Origin of Detonate

  • From Latin detonāre. It meant "to stop thundering", e.g. as in weather (de- = "from", tonare = "to thunder"). The current English meaning seems to be a new formation in postclassical times.

    From Wiktionary

  • Latin dētonāre dētonāt- to thunder down dē- de- tonāre to thunder (s)tenə- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Detonate Sentence Examples

  • It is very difficult to detonate by percussion.

  • As the quantity of contained water increases it becomes difficult or even impossible to detonate by an ordinary blow.

  • Guncotton in an air-dry state, whether in the original form or after grinding to pulp and compressing, burns with very great rapidity but does not detonate unless confined.

  • This will detonate a muted explosion that results in a perfect strike.

  • Guncotton containing more than 15% of water is uninflammable, may be compressed or worked without danger and is much more difficult to detonate by a fulminate.

More Sentences

Related Articles

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to detonate using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

DDEDET

Words Ending With

ETEATE

Unscrambles

detonate

Words Starting With D and Ending With E

Starts With D & Ends With EStarts With DE & Ends With EStarts With D & Ends With TE

Word Length

8 Letter Words8 Letter Words Starting With D8 Letter Words Ending With E