INDEX:
1. to explode
2. to make something explode
3. when a building/plane etc explodes
4. to destroy something using a bomb
5. an explosion
6. an exploding weapon
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ WEAPON
↑ WAR
↑ KILL
↑ HURT/INJURE
↑ DESTROY
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1. to explode
▷ explode/go off /ɪkˈspləʊd, ˌgəʊ ˈɒf/ [intransitive verb/intransitive phrasal verb]
if a bomb explodes or goes off, it bursts suddenly and violently with a loud noise, causing a lot of damage :
▪ A bomb exploded in a crowded metro station this morning, killing five people.
▪ The building was still being evacuated when the bomb went off.
▪ As many as ten bombs went off across the city, most of them car bombs.
2. to make something explode
▷ set off /ˌset ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make a bomb explode either deliberately or accidentally :
set off something
▪ The group set off a bomb outside a crowded cafe in Izmir last September.
set something off
▪ Police say radio signals were probably used to set the bomb off.
▷ detonate /ˈdetəneɪt/ [transitive verb]
to make a bomb explode, especially by using special equipment. Detonate is a more technical word than set off :
▪ Army experts detonated the bomb safely in a nearby field.
▪ The 200 kg bomb was detonated by terrorists using a remote-control device.
▷ let off /ˌlet ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb] British
to deliberately make a bomb explode :
▪ Terrorists let off a bomb in the city centre.
▪ The bomb was let off shortly before 3 pm.
▷ let off British /set off/shoot off American /ˌlet ˈɒf, ˌset ˈɒf, ˌʃuːt ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make fireworks explode. A firework is a thing which explodes in the air and produces lots of noise or coloured lights, and is used in celebrations :
▪ They’re going to let off fireworks in the park.
▪ A group of teenagers were in the parking lot shooting off fireworks.
▪ Somebody set off a firecracker in the cafeteria.
3. when a building/plane etc explodes
▷ blow up /ˌbləʊ ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a building, car, plane etc blows up, it bursts suddenly and violently into pieces, causing a lot of damage :
▪ The plane blew up in mid-air, killing all the passengers and crew.
▪ In early 1986, a US space shuttle blew up shortly after launch.
▷ explode /ɪkˈspləʊd/ [intransitive verb]
if a container of chemicals, oil, or gas explodes, it bursts suddenly and violently into pieces :
▪ Seconds after the car crashed, its fuel tank exploded.
▪ Investigators still don’t know what caused the storage tanks to explode.
4. to destroy something using a bomb
▷ blow up /ˈbləʊ ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to destroy a building, car, plane etc using a bomb :
▪ Two of the ships were blown up while they were still in the harbour.
▪ Extremists blew up a mosque on the outskirts of the city.
5. an explosion
▷ explosion /ɪkˈspləʊʒ ə n/ [countable noun]
the loud noise and violent force that is produced when something explodes :
▪ The noise of the explosion could be heard all over the city.
▪ Murray was killed instantly by the explosion.
▷ blast /blɑːstǁblæst/ [countable noun]
an explosion - used especially in news reports :
▪ The blast killed 168 people and wounded hundreds.
▪ Every window in the building had been shattered by the force of the blast.
6. an exploding weapon
▷ bomb /bɒmǁbɑːm/ [countable noun]
a weapon that explodes :
▪ The bomb exploded on a bus in Jerusalem during the city’s morning rush hour.
▪ The protesters were armed with rocks and petrol bombs.
letter bomb
a small bomb hidden in a package and sent to someone in order to hurt or kill them
▪ Morrow was convicted in 1998 of sending four letter bombs to government officials.
▷ device /dɪˈvaɪs/ [countable noun] especially British
a bomb - used especially in news reports :
▪ Police found the device hidden in a suitcase.
▪ Four of the victims received serious injuries when the device ripped through one of the station’s lavatories.
▷ explosives /ɪkˈspləʊsɪvz/ [plural noun]
bombs or substances that can cause explosions :
▪ The bomb, containing 150 grams of explosives, was placed outside the house shortly before 1 am.
▪ Traces of explosives were found on the clothing of the three men accused of the bombing.
▪ a bomb packed with 1,000 lbs of explosives