Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense explodes, present participle exploding, past tense, past participle exploded
1. verb
If an object such as a bomb explodes or if someone or something explodes it, it bursts loudly and with great force, often causing damage or injury.
They were clearing up when the second bomb exploded. [VERB]
A school bus was hit by gunfire which exploded the fuel tank. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: blow up, erupt, burst, go off More Synonyms of explode
2. verb
If someone explodes, they express strong feelings suddenly and violently.
Do you fear that you'll burst into tears or explode with anger in front of her? [VERB + with]
'What happened!' I exploded. [VERB with quote]
George caught the look and decided that Bess had better leave before she exploded. [VERB]
3. verb
If something explodes, it increases suddenly and rapidly in number or intensity.
The population explodes to 40,000 during the tourist season. [VERB + to]
Investment by Japanese firms has exploded. [VERB]
4. verb
If someone explodes a theory or myth, they prove that it is wrong or impossible.
Electricity privatisation has exploded the myth of cheap nuclear power. [VERB noun]
Such rumours have only recently been exploded. [VERB noun]
5. verb
If something explodes, it makes a sudden very loud noise.
[literary]
She heard laughter explode, then die. [VERB]
More Synonyms of explode
explode in British English
(ɪkˈspləʊd)
verb
1.
to burst or cause to burst with great violence as a result of internal pressure, esp through the detonation of an explosive; blow up
2.
to destroy or be destroyed in this manner
to explode a bridge
3.
(of a gas) to undergo or cause (a gas) to undergo a sudden violent expansion, accompanied by heat, light, a shock wave, and a loud noise, as a result of a fast uncontrolled exothermic chemical or nuclear reaction
4. (intransitive)
to react suddenly or violently with emotion, etc
to explode with anger
5. (intransitive)
(esp of a population) to increase rapidly
6. (transitive)
to show (a theory, etc) to be baseless; refute and make obsolete
7. (transitive) phonetics
to pronounce (a stop) with audible plosion
Compare implode
Derived forms
exploder (exˈploder)
noun
Word origin
C16: from Latin explōdere to drive off by clapping, hiss (an actor) off, from ex-1 + plaudere to clap
explode in American English
(ɛkˈsploʊd; ɪkˈsploʊd)
verb transitiveWord forms: exˈploded or exˈploding
1.
to cause to be rejected; expose as false; discredit
to explode a theory
2.
to make burst with a loud noise; blow up; detonate
3.
to cause to change suddenly and violently from a solid or liquid to a quickly expanding gas
4.
to cause rapid nuclear fusion or fission in, with accompanying destructive force
5. Golf
to hit (a ball) from a sand trap with an explosion shot
verb intransitive
6.
to be exploded; burst noisily and violently
7.
to break forth noisily
to explode with anger
8.
to increase very rapidly
the area's population is exploding
Derived forms
explodable (exˈplodable)
adjective
exploder (exˈploder)
noun
Word origin
orig., to drive off the stage by clapping and hooting < L explodere < ex-, off + plaudere, to applaud
Examples of 'explode' in a sentence
explode
One exploded after a bomb disposal robot accidentally cut the wrong wire.
The Sun (2016)
A bomb had exploded in the road.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
His mother, he said, was apparently proud that he had carried on sleeping when the bomb exploded.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
And then the room exploded with noise.
Iain Gale Man of Honour (2007)
The early models often exploded on ignition.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It is a myth that was exploded when two things happened on the same day last week.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
You walk along the street and suddenly a car explodes.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We came out for the second half and exploded.
The Sun (2015)
It shocked me at the time but then my anger exploded.
The Sun (2016)
The bomb had exploded above them at the third floor.
Len Deighton Bomber
She seems to think eating sweets will make them explode or something.
The Sun (2010)
The second bomb was exploded outside a building containing an intelligence office.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He timed the bomb to explode four hours after he left the aircraft.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It felt like something else could explode at any moment.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
We can first explode the myth that judges are to blame and ministers are not responsible for sentence lengths.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Sales of e-books have exploded as a result.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Suddenly, a cloud of noise explodes as all the instruments tune.
Christianity Today (2000)
By the 1990s the population exploded.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The pilot was landing, and it seemed he sort of turned to one side and the plane exploded when it hit the cars.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The National Stadium exploded with noise.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In other languages
explode
British English: explode /ɪkˈspləʊd/ VERB
If something such as a bomb explodes, it bursts with great force.
Fireworks exploded in the sky above.
American English: explode
Arabic: يُفَجِّرُ يفجر
Brazilian Portuguese: explodir
Chinese: 爆炸
Croatian: eksplodirati
Czech: vybouchnout
Danish: eksplodere
Dutch: exploderen
European Spanish: estallar
Finnish: räjähtää
French: exploser
German: explodieren
Greek: εκρήγνυμαι
Italian: esplodere
Japanese: 爆発する
Korean: 폭발하다
Norwegian: eksplodere
Polish: wybuchnąć
European Portuguese: explodir
Romanian: a exploda
Russian: взрывать(ся)
Latin American Spanish: estallar
Swedish: explodera
Thai: ระเบิด
Turkish: patlamak havaya uçarak
Ukrainian: вибухати
Vietnamese: nổ
Chinese translation of 'explode'
explode
(ɪksˈpləud)
vi
[bomb]爆炸 (bàozhà)
[population]猛增 (měngzēng)
[person] (with rage etc) 迸发(發) (bèngfā)
⇒ Simon exploded with anger.西蒙勃然大怒。 (Xīméng bó rán dà nù.)
vt
[bomb, tank]使爆炸 (shǐ bàozhà)
[myth, theory]戳穿 (chuōchuān)
1 (verb)
Definition
to burst with great violence
They managed to evacuate all the civilians before the bomb exploded.
Synonyms
blow up
The bomb blew up over the countryside.
erupt
The volcano erupted in 1980.
burst
The driver lost control when a tyre burst.
She burst the balloon with a pin.
go off
A gun went off somewhere in the distance.
shatter
Safety glass won't shatter if it's broken.
shiver (archaic, literary)
2 (verb)
Definition
to burst with great violence
The first test atomic bomb was exploded in the New Mexico desert.
Synonyms
detonate
The bomb failed to detonate.
set off
Who set off the bomb?
discharge
He was tried for unlawfully and dangerously discharging a weapon.
let off
3 (verb)
Definition
to react suddenly or violently with emotion
She exploded with rage at the accusation.
Synonyms
lose your temper
rage
He raged at me for being late.
erupt
blow up (informal)
I'm sorry I blew up at you.
lose it (informal)
crack up (informal)
He's going to crack up if he doesn't take a break soon.
see red (informal)
I didn't mean to break his nose. I just saw red.
lose the plot (informal)
become angry
have a fit (informal)
He'd have a fit if he knew what we were up to!
go ballistic (slang)
hit the roof (informal)
throw a tantrum
blow a fuse (slang)
go berserk (slang)
go mad (slang)
My dad'll go mad if he finds out.
fly off the handle (informal)
My old manager flew off the handle at the slightest thing.
go spare (British, slang)
She went spare when we told her what had happened.
become enraged
go off the deep end (informal)
go up the wall (slang)
blow your top (informal)
I just asked him why he was late and he blew his top.
go crook (Australian, New Zealand, slang)
fly into a temper
flip your lid (slang)
do your nut (British, slang)
4 (verb)
Definition
(esp. of a population) to increase rapidly
The population has exploded in the last twenty years.
Synonyms
increase
The population continues to increase.
grow
The puddle under the burst pipe was growing.
develop
Children develop at different rates.
extend
They have added three new products to extend their range.
advance
The country has advanced from a rural society to an industrial power.
shoot up
Sales shot up by 9% last month.
soar
soaring unemployment
boost
They need to take action to boost sales.
expand
Water expands as it freezes.
build up
swell
The human population swelled as migrants moved south.
step up (informal)
escalate
Defeat could cause one side or the other to escalate the conflict.
multiply
Her new job has multiplied the demands on her time.
proliferate
Courses in creative writing have proliferated in recent years.
snowball
aggrandize
5 (verb)
Definition
to show (a theory, etc.) to be baseless
He explodes the myth that actors are bubble-headed egomaniacs.
Synonyms
disprove
The statistics disprove his hypothesis.
discredit
refute
It was the kind of rumour that is impossible to refute.
belie
The facts of the situation belie his testimony.
demolish
Their intention was to demolish his reputation.
repudiate
He repudiated the charges.
put paid to
invalidate
Neither point invalidates my argument.
debunk
prove impossible
prove wrong
give the lie to
blow out of the water (slang)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of advance
The country has advanced from a rural society to an industrial power.
Synonyms
improve,
rise,
grow,
develop,
reform,
pick up,
progress,
thrive,
upgrade,
multiply,
prosper,
make strides
in the sense of belie
Definition
to show to be untrue
The facts of the situation belie his testimony.
Synonyms
disprove,
deny,
expose,
discredit,
contradict,
refute,
repudiate,
negate,
invalidate,
rebut,
give the lie to,
make a nonsense of,
gainsay (archaic, literary),
prove false,
blow out of the water (slang),
controvert,
confute
in the sense of blow your top
Definition
to lose one's temper
I just asked him why he was late and he blew his top.