explode
English · Thesaurus
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explode
- /ɪkˈspləʊd/ UK
- /ɪkˈsploʊd/ Canada, US
- /ɪkˈspləʉd/ Australia
- /əkˈsplɐʉd/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -əʊd
Where it comes from
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.
verb explodes · exploding · exploded · explode
- To fly apart with sudden violent force; to blow up, to burst, to detonate, to go off. The bomb explodes.
- To destroy with an explosion. The assassin exploded the car by means of a car bomb.
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To make a violent or emotional outburst; to suddenly give expression to powerful and often negative or unpleasant emotion, especially anger.
She exploded when I criticised her hat.
Similar: blow up
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To increase suddenly.
When pigeons can come to a spot day in and day out for a guaranteed meal, their populations explode.
Similar: blow up
- To increase arbitrarily or boundlessly. The function f(x) = 1/x explodes around x = 0.
- To destroy violently or abruptly. They sought to explode the myth.
- To create an exploded view of. Explode the assembly drawing so that all the fasteners are visible.
- To disprove or debunk. Astrology is required by many famous physicians […] doubted of, and exploded by others.
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To emerge suddenly.
to explode into the mainstream; to explode onto the scene
Similar: burst
- To ejaculate.
- To break (a delimited string of text) into several smaller strings by removing the separators. The third check uses the exploded data stored in the array $parts and the function checkdate() to test if the date is a valid calendar date.
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To decompress (data) that was previously imploded.
I'm looking for some code that will implode data using the PKZIP method.. and explode it. PKWare sells an object that you can link with that does the job, and we have licensed this, but we are now writing 32 bit code for MS-DOS and the PKWare stuff won't work […]
Similar: unstring
- To open all doors and hatches on an automobile.
- Of a die, to produce the highest face result and consequently reroll.
Similar: asplode, blast, blow, blow up, burst, detonate, displode, dynamite, explode, fulminate, go off, let off, nuke, rive, set off · Opposite: implode
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: blow up, burst forth, burst, detonate, break loose, set off, blasted, explosion, explosive, blow, break, smash, squeeze, splitting, knock, boom
Translations
Every language
verb to explode (intransitive)
| Español | explosionar, explotar, reventar, estallar, saltar por los aires, petar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 폭발적으로 증가하다 pokbaljeogeuro jeunggahada, 폭발하다 pokbalhada |
| 日本語 | 爆発する bakuhatsu-suru |
| 中文 | 爆炸 bàozhà, 爆發 /爆发 bàofā |
| हिन्दी | विस्फोट visphoṭ |
| Kiswahili | -lipuka |
| Português | explodir |
| Français | détoner, exploser, sauter |
| Deutsch | explodieren, platzen |
| Italiano | esplodere |
| Ελληνικά | εκρήγνυμαι ekrígnymai |
| Română | exploda, sări în aer, detona |
| Русский | взрыва́ться vzryvátʹsja, взорва́ться vzorvátʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | nổ |
| العربية | اِنْفَجَرَ infajara |
| עברית | הִתְפּוֹצֵץ hitpotséts |
verb to destroy with an explosion
| Español | explosionar, reventar, hacer explotar/estallar, volar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 爆発する |
| हिन्दी | विस्फोट visphoṭ |
| Kiswahili | -lipuka |
| Português | explodir |
| Français | exploser |
| Deutsch | sprengen, explodieren |
| Italiano | esplodere |
| Ελληνικά | ανατινάζω anatinázo |
| Română | detona, arunca în aer, exploda |
| Русский | взрыва́ть vzryvátʹ, взорва́ть vzorvátʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | nổ |
| العربية | تَفْرَقَعَ tafraqaʕa |
| עברית | פוצץ potséts |
Talk about this word "explode." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/explode. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. explode. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/explode "explode." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/explode.Cite this
@misc{explode_2026,
title = {explode},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/explode},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
