explode

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To burst suddenly and violently, often with a loud noise.

   The bomb exploded, shattering every window on the street.

2. 2
   verb

   To suddenly show strong, usually angry, emotion.

   She exploded with anger when she saw the mess.

3. 3
   verb

   To increase very quickly and suddenly.

   The city's population has exploded over the last decade.

First recorded around 1538, from the Latin verb explōdere (“drive out or off by clapping”). The meaning was originally theatrical, "to drive an actor off the stage by making noise," hence meaning to "to drive out" or "to reject". From ex- (“out”) + plaudere (“to clap; to applaud”). In English it used to mean to "drive out with violence and sudden noise" (from around 1660), and later meaning to "go off with a loud noise" (from around 1790). The sense of "bursting with destructive force" is first recorded around 1882.

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