Link Centre Dictionary

explode

exp·lode

UK/ɪkˈspləʊd/ US/ɪkˈsploʊd/ common slang

verb

1.

cause to explode

  • “We exploded the nuclear bomb”
Synonyms
2.

burst outward, usually with noise

  • “The champagne bottle exploded”
Synonyms
Antonyms
3.

show a violent emotional reaction

  • “The boss exploded when he heard of the resignation of the secretary”
4.

be unleashed; burst forth with violence or noise

  • “His anger exploded”
Synonyms
5.

destroy by exploding

  • “The enemy exploded the bridge”
6.

cause to burst as a result of air pressure; of stop consonants like /p/, /t/, and /k/

7.
8.

show (a theory or claim) to be baseless, or refute and make obsolete

9.

increase rapidly and in an uncontrolled manner

  • “The population of India is exploding”
  • “The island”
Synonyms

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • did the journal factory explode
  • exploding cucumber
  • exploding head syndrome

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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Entails

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.