i Register
In some senses, detonate is marked as figuratively. Watch for register when choosing this word.
detonate
UK /ˈdɛtəneɪt/ US /ˈdɛtəˌneɪt/
verb 4
Collocations
4ADJ.
threatened
VERB + DETONATE
bomb, didn't, going
DETONATE + NOUN
explosives
PREP.
about, in
Definitions
verb
1
To explode, blow up
2
To explode, blow up
3
To cause to explode.
The engineers detonated the dynamite and watched the old building collapse.
4
To express sudden anger.
As Oscar turned to greet Yvonne, she could see every muscle in his body contract in anger. Then he detonated. “What the hell are you doing here without an appointment? […]
Thesaurus
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
601
The engineers detonated the dynamite and watched the old building collapse.
Wiktionary02
As Oscar turned to greet Yvonne, she could see every muscle in his body contract in anger. Then he detonated. “What the hell are you doing here without an appointment? […]
Wiktionary03
We're going to detonate the bomb in a few moments.
Tatoeba · #121848904
The police caught the suicide bomber before he could detonate his bomb.
Tatoeba · #258340805
The hostage-takers threatened to detonate a bomb.
Tatoeba · #392753606
The bomb didn't detonate.
Tatoeba · #3930947Usage Notes
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