detonate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If “One of Us” is an entertaining family saga of privilege and comeuppance, it is also a consummate novel of suspense in which revelations detonate with lethal accuracy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

Commander Fox explains that mines generally fall into two categories: contact mines, which detonate when struck, and influence mines, which explode when sensors detect changes in sound, pressure or magnetism.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

Former world number one Andy Roddick previously said there should be a "zone" for players to "detonate" after tough defeats.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

Proximity fuses are designed to detonate in the air when they are a certain distance from a target, experts say.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025

Large numbers of the shells fired were duds; they failed to detonate.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman