explode

verb

ik-ˈsplōd How to pronounce explode (audio)
Definition of explodenext
1
as in to detonate
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure the building was wrecked when a powerful bomb exploded

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shatter
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive the bomb was so powerful that it exploded windows in several neighboring buildings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to erupt
to develop suddenly and violently the mayor's latest unpopular decision caused long-suppressed resentment to explode into open anger

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of explode TikTok Shop beauty sales exploded during the first quarter of 2026, growing more than 80%, according to Tubefilter, a digital media company that covers the creator economy, YouTube, and the online video industry. — Howard Cohen july 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026 Continue reading … VIRUS RECKONING — COVID fury explodes as Fauci hearing revives 'insane' lockdown nightmare tales. — FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026 Originally conceived alongside their collaborations on those scores, the album languished as Jóhannsson’s film career exploded before ultimately being shelved after his death. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 31 July 2026 The arachnid hormones in his body are surging, causing his pupils to turn black and his temper to explode. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for explode
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explode
  1. detonate
  2. shatter
  3. erupt
  4. blow
  5. smash
  6. pop
  7. demolish
  8. burst
Verb
  • At least 21 people were wounded when the explosive device detonated at the restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said late on Saturday, according to Russian state news agency Ria Novosti.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Investigators believe the bomb was detonated remotely, and a preliminary account indicates that the woman most likely did not know what the package contained, Kommersant reported.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of detonate
Verb
  • Twenty-nine single-family homes sold for $30 million or more in Miami-Dade in 2025, shattering the previous record of 15 homes in 2024.
    — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
  • Oil prices — which had eased from last week’s the two-month high — rebounded as a brief pause in fighting in the Iran war was shattered.
    — Yuri Kageyama, Fortune, 29 July 2026
Definition of shatter
Verb
  • Now, both veterans and newcomers will be able to experience the struggle humanity faced as a new conflict erupted.
    — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • After gunfire erupted at the popular Bite of Seattle food festival last weekend, those same people are helping to organize his funeral.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of erupt
Verb
  • Photos show that chunks of ceiling have fallen in two rooms and leaves have blown into a few others, suggesting there are some holes that need to be patched up immediately.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The Pirates have blown 20 of 42 save opportunities this season and already released reliever Dennis Santana, who began the year splitting the closing duties with Gregory Soto.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of blow
Verb
  • On June 19 burglars used a saw to cut through a garage door on Avalon Heights Terrace, and smashed through a sliding glass window to get into the home.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Despite his manic efforts to smash and spray them out of existence, the ever-multiplying cockroaches eventually overwhelm him.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of smash
Verb
  • Expect business folk, Scandinavian families, well-to-do Danish neighbors popping in for breakfast or dinner, as well as leisure travelers from the US and beyond, who know about this nook of the city.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Aegon cackles with glee as Tyland ducks to the ground and his enemies snap, crackle, pop in the night.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of pop
Verb
  • Fifty years ago, in 1966, the baseball landmark was demolished to make way for a shopping mall.
    — Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Plans show an existing building on the site would be demolished and replaced.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of demolish
Verb
  • His emotions — and that sticky goo in his wrists — are about to burst.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • Along the narrow hallway, bookshelves burst with first editions of John Updike, battered Stephen Kings, graphic novels, dime-store paperbacks, board games, books about mythology, children’s fairy tales, and Warhammer rule sets.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 July 2026
Definition of burst

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explode
exploded
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Cite this Entry

“Explode.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explode. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of explode for Spanish Speakers

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