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# detonate

verb (detonate, detonates, detonated, detonating)

«detonate» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To make a bomb or explosive go off on purpose. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detonate/#m1)
2. To explode suddenly with a loud bang. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detonate/#m2)

### In the lessons

Used in stories about wars, mines and fireworks, in science about chemical reactions, and in news about bomb squads making old bombs safe; tells the reader something is blowing up on purpose; phrases: «detonate a bomb», «remotely detonated», «controlled explosion».

### Examples

- The bomb squad detonated the old shell in an empty field. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detonate/#x1)
- The fireworks detonated high above the river. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detonate/#x2)
- Engineers detonate explosives to knock down old towers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detonate/#x3)
- The mine did not detonate, so the soldiers marked it with a flag. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detonate/#x4)
- In the film, the hero cut the red wire before the bomb could detonate. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detonate/#x5)
- Scientists showed how a tiny spark can detonate a gas cloud. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detonate/#x6)
- A wartime bomb found on a building site in London was safely detonated. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detonate/#x7)

### Note

Regular verb: detonated, detonating. Noun: detonation; the device that sets off a bomb is a detonator. Safety: never touch an old shell or strange metal object; tell an adult and call the police. Do not confuse with «decimate» or «devastate».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «detonate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detonate/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«detonate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/detonate.html) on Mova free.