detonate

C2+ Topic:Crime & Justice

US /ˈdɛtəˌneɪt/ UK /ˈdɛtəneɪt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to explode or cause to explode with sudden violence

Engineers detonated the charges to bring down the old bridge.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to explode or cause to... explode blast discharge burstblow upfulminate

Opposites

implodedefuse

Word family

Derived forms detonationdetonatordetonable

Related forms thunder astonish stun

Etymology

From Latin detonatus, past participle of detonare ('to thunder down, expend thunder'), from de- (intensive) + tonare ('to thunder').

detonare Latin tonare Latin *(s)tenh₂- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Crime & Justice Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# detonate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈdɛtəˌneɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈdɛtəneɪt/

## Meanings
1. to explode or cause to explode with sudden violence

## Examples
- Engineers detonated the charges to bring down the old bridge.

## Synonyms
- explode
- blast
- discharge
- burst
- blow up
- fulminate

## Antonyms
- implode
- defuse

## Derived Forms
- detonation
- detonator
- detonable

## Related Forms
- thunder
- astonish
- stun

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: detonare
- Root: tonare
- Root: *(s)tenh₂-

## Etymology
From Latin detonatus, past participle of detonare ('to thunder down, expend thunder'), from de- (intensive) + tonare ('to thunder').

## AI Etymology
Detonate is from Latin detonatus, past participle of detonare ('to thunder down, expend thunder'), from de- (intensive) + tonare ('to thunder'). The ancestry passes through Latin detonare, Latin tonare, and Proto-Indo-European *(s)tenh₂-. The prefix de- often marks removal, reversal, or downward motion in Latin formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as a verb, it means "to explode or cause to explode with sudden violence", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include thunder, astonish, and stun; derived forms include detonation, detonator, and detonable.

## Topics
- Crime & Justice
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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