detonator
noun
det·o·na·tor
ˈde-tᵊn-ˌā-tər 
-tə-ˌnā-
: a device or small quantity of explosive used for detonating a high explosive
Examples of detonator in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When Chub triggered a detonator lodged in one of the mines, an enormous cloud of flame roiled up from the now impassable bridge.
—
Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
On June 19, all six men began the tedious work of shifting the explosives, detonators and other supplies into final position and readying them for use.
—Myke Cole and Michael Livingston, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024
The pipe bombs, which had an hour-long kitchen timer as a detonator, were viable, but didn’t detonate and no one was hurt, the FBI said.
—Brie Stimson, Fox News, 6 Jan. 2024
In the Iraq war in the 2000s, the United States used gadgets called jammers to create so much radio noise that improvised explosive devices could not communicate with their remote detonators.
—Aaron Krolik, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for detonator 
Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
On June 19, all six men began the tedious work of shifting the explosives, detonators and other supplies into final position and readying them for use.
—Myke Cole and Michael Livingston, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024
The pipe bombs, which had an hour-long kitchen timer as a detonator, were viable, but didn’t detonate and no one was hurt, the FBI said.
—Brie Stimson, Fox News, 6 Jan. 2024
In the Iraq war in the 2000s, the United States used gadgets called jammers to create so much radio noise that improvised explosive devices could not communicate with their remote detonators.
—Aaron Krolik, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for detonator
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'detonator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near detonator
Cite this Entry
“Detonator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detonator. Accessed 30 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
detonator
noun
det·o·na·tor
ˈdet-ᵊn-ˌāt-ər
-ə-ˌnāt-
: a device or small quantity of explosive used for detonating another explosive
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share