detonation

noun

det·​o·​na·​tion ˌde-tᵊn-ˈā-shən 

ˌde-tə-ˈnā-

1

: the action or process of detonating

2

: rapid combustion in an internal combustion engine that results in knocking

Synonyms

• blast
• blowup
• burst
• bursting
• eruption
• explosion
• outburst

Examples of detonation in a Sentence

there was a series of detonations around the base of the condemned building, causing it to come crashing down in a matter of minutes

Recent Examples on the Web

One morning this spring, as the sun’s orange tints seeped through my windows in the mountains east of Port-au-Prince, machine-gun detonations jolted me awake. —Monique Clesca, Washington Post, 18 June 2024

Space debris created from a nuclear detonation could clutter orbital traffic lanes needed for future spacecraft. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 25 Apr. 2024

However, the other warhead parachuted to the ground intact as designed, and three of the four switches designed to prevent unintentional detonations failed. —Rebecca Messina, theweek, 25 Apr. 2024

These estimates, moreover, include only immediate blast fatalities, not the deaths from fires after a nuclear detonation or the longer-term deaths that would result from radioactive fallout. —Scott D. Sagan, Foreign Affairs, 10 Sep. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1