ex ‧ plode /ɪkˈspləʊd $ -ˈsploʊd/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: adjective : exploding, ↑ explosive , ↑ exploded , ↑ unexploded ; noun : ↑ explosion , ↑ explosive ; verb : ↑ explode ; adverb : ↑ explosively ]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: explodere 'to drive off the stage by clapping' , from plaudere 'to clap' ]
1 . BURST [intransitive and transitive] to burst, or to make something burst, into small pieces, usually with a loud noise and in a way that causes damage ⇨ explosion :
The device was thrown at an army patrol but failed to explode.
Far sooner than anyone thought possible, the Russians exploded an atomic bomb.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say that a bomb goes off rather than explodes :
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A bomb went off in the city centre.
2 . INCREASE SUDDENLY [intransitive] to suddenly increase greatly in number, amount, or degree SYN rocket ⇨ explosion :
Florida’s population exploded after World War II.
3 . STRONG FEELINGS [intransitive] to suddenly express strong feelings such as anger ⇨ ↑ explosion :
Paul exploded. ‘What has it got to do with you?’ he yelled.
explode with
She exploded with grief and anger.
He told a joke which made Hank explode with laughter.
explode into
He exploded into a screaming, kicking rage.
4 . BECOME DANGEROUS [intransitive] if a situation explodes, it is suddenly no longer controlled, and is often violent SYN blow up :
Riots may explode at any time.
explode into
The continued tension could explode into more violence.
5 . explode the myth to prove that something that is believed by many people is actually wrong or not true:
The programme sets out to explode the myth that some delicate tropical fish are impossible to keep.
6 . MAKE A LOUD NOISE [intransitive] to make a very loud noise ⇨ explosion :
A clap of thunder exploded overhead.
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THESAURUS
■ to explode
▪ explode verb [intransitive] if a bomb explodes, it bursts suddenly and violently with a loud noise:
A bomb exploded in a crowded metro station this morning, killing five people.
▪ go off phrasal verb if a bomb goes off, it explodes. Go off is less formal than explode and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
Luckily the station was empty when the bomb went off.
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As many as ten bombs went off across the city, most of them car bombs.
▪ blow up 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.
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In early 1986, a US space shuttle blew up shortly after launch.
▪ erupt /ɪˈrʌpt/ verb [intransitive] if a ↑ volcano erupts, it explodes and sends smoke and rock into the sky:
The volcano has erupted at least fifteen times since 1883.
▪ burst verb [intransitive] if something that has air or liquid inside it bursts, it explodes and the air or liquid comes out:
One of the water pipes had burst.
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The plane caught fire after its tyre burst on landing.
■ to make something explode
▪ explode verb [transitive] to make a bomb burst suddenly and violently with a loud noise:
The terrorists planned to explode a car bomb outside the US embassy.
▪ set off phrasal verb to make a bomb explode, either deliberately or accidentally. Set off is less formal than explode and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
The group set off a bomb outside a crowded cafe in Izmir last September.
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Police say radio signals were probably used to set the bomb off.
▪ detonate /ˈdetəneɪt/ verb [transitive] 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.
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The 200 kg bomb was detonated by terrorists using a remote-control device.
▪ let off phrasal verb British English to deliberately make a bomb explode:
Terrorists let off a bomb in the city centre.
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The bomb was let off shortly before 3 pm.
▪ blow up phrasal verb to make a building, car, plane etc explode:
He was involved in a plot to blow up a passenger jet.
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He struck a match and blew the whole place up.