DETONATING Synonyms: 21 Similar and Opposite Words

detonating

verb

present participle of detonate

as in exploding

to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure the bomb detonated with a thunder that could be heard for blocks in all directions

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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 detonating Bowie planned to put the bomb in a delivery bag and escape to Syria after detonating it, the complaint alleges. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026 Just weeks before her confrontation with Cunningham, Carrington sent shockwaves through the WNBA by publicly detonating her former relationship on social media. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Anvil is a smaller, faster aircraft designed to destroy hostile drones by colliding with them or detonating nearby. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026 According to a report in German newspaper Bild, investigators believe only a technical malfunction may have prevented the device attached to the drone from detonating. — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 Brown says the firm also explored investing in an Israeli start-up developing underground munitions capable of tunneling beneath targets before detonating, but that deal ultimately fell through. — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 22 July 2026 The video shows these drones flying into the Russian positions and detonating their payloads during the assault. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 To put it simply—detonating nuclear weapons in space can be as disastrous as detonating them on Earth. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 July 2026 With this in mind, NATO ran an exercise in June imagining drones detonating as a ship enters the port. — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 6 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonating

Verb

Likewise, Roman will see exploding stars called supernovas that allow astronomers to measure how fast the universe has been expanding.

— Don Figer, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
Steiner said a mass of glacial ice dropping from a great height could have felt like a bomb exploding, resulting in the chaos that followed.

— Sibi Arasu, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of exploding

Verb

Its exterior is rich with symbolism, from stone carvings representing the all-seeing eye of God to a golden statue, atop the highest spire, of an angel blowing a trumpet to herald the Second Coming.

— Brandon Griggs, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
There is a micronation on a fortress at sea off the coast of Great Britain, and the British government once considered blowing it up.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of blowing

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detonates

detonating

detonation

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“Detonating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonating. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of detonating

verb

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