detonate[verb]Synonyms: explode, blast, blow up, discharge, set off, trigger
English Thesaurus: explode, go off, blow up, erupt, burst, ... [TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲
explode verb [intransitive] if a bomb explodes, it bursts suddenly and violently with a loud noise:
A bomb exploded in a crowded metro station this morning, killing five people.go off phrasal verb if a bomb goes off, it explodes.
Go off is less formal than
explode and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
Luckily the station was empty when the bomb went off. As many as ten bombs went off across the city, most of them car bombs.blow up phrasal verb if a building, car, plane etc blows up, it bursts suddenly and violently into pieces, causing a lot of damage:
The plane blew up in mid-air, killing all the passengers and crew. In early 1986, a US space shuttle blew up shortly after launch.erupt /ɪˈrʌpt/
verb [intransitive] if a
volcano erupts, it explodes and sends smoke and rock into the sky:
The volcano has erupted at least fifteen times since 1883.burst verb [intransitive] if something that has air or liquid inside it bursts, it explodes and the air or liquid comes out:
One of the water pipes had burst. The plane caught fire after its tyre burst on landing.set off phrasal verb to make a bomb explode, either deliberately or accidentally.
Set off is less formal than
explode and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
The group set off a bomb outside a crowded cafe in Izmir last September. Police say radio signals were probably used to set the bomb off.detonate /ˈdetəneɪt/
verb [transitive] to make a bomb explode, especially by using special equipment.
Detonate is a more technical word than
set off:
Army experts detonated the bomb safely in a nearby field. The 200 kg bomb was detonated by terrorists using a remote-control device.let off phrasal verb British English to deliberately make a bomb explode:
Terrorists let off a bomb in the city centre. The bomb was let off shortly before 3 pm. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲
explode verb [transitive] to make a bomb burst suddenly and violently with a loud noise:
The terrorists planned to explode a car bomb outside the US embassy.set off phrasal verb to make a bomb explode, either deliberately or accidentally.
Set off is less formal than
explode and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
The group set off a bomb outside a crowded cafe in Izmir last September. Police say radio signals were probably used to set the bomb off.detonate /ˈdetəneɪt/
verb [transitive] to make a bomb explode, especially by using special equipment.
Detonate is a more technical word than
set off:
Army experts detonated the bomb safely in a nearby field. The 200 kg bomb was detonated by terrorists using a remote-control device.let off phrasal verb British English to deliberately make a bomb explode:
Terrorists let off a bomb in the city centre. The bomb was let off shortly before 3 pm.blow up phrasal verb to make a building, car, plane etc explode:
He was involved in a plot to blow up a passenger jet. He struck a match and blew the whole place up. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲