Explode

/ɪkˈsploʊd/ verb, slang

verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: To fly apart with sudden violent force; to blow up, to burst, to detonate, to go off.
  • Grammar: explode is listed as verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: burst, blow up, detonate, set off.
  • Useful contrasts: defusing, imploding, portuguese compor.
  • Usage evidence: The news caused him to explode with anger.

How to use "explode"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "explode" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "explode" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "explode" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "explode" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "explode" is acting as verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "burst" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "explode", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To fly apart with sudden violent force; to blow up, to burst, to detonate, to go off. intransitive

    "The bomb explodes."

  2. 2
    increase rapidly and in an uncontrolled manner wordnet
  3. 3
    To destroy with an explosion. transitive

    "The assassin exploded the car by means of a car bomb."

  4. 4
    burst outward, usually with noise wordnet
  5. 5
    To make a violent or emotional outburst; to suddenly give expression to powerful and often negative or unpleasant emotion, especially anger. figuratively, intransitive

    "She exploded when I criticised her hat."

Show 19 more definitions
  1. 6
    burst and release energy as through a violent chemical or physical reaction wordnet
  2. 7
    To increase suddenly. figuratively, intransitive

    "When pigeons can come to a spot day in and day out for a guaranteed meal, their populations explode."

  3. 8
    be unleashed; emerge with violence or noise wordnet
  4. 9
    To increase arbitrarily or boundlessly.

    "The function f(x) = 1/x explodes around x = 0."

  5. 10
    cause to burst with a violent release of energy wordnet
  6. 11
    To destroy violently or abruptly. transitive

    "They sought to explode the myth."

  7. 12
    show (a theory or claim) to be baseless, or refute and make obsolete wordnet
  8. 13
    To create an exploded view of. transitive

    "Explode the assembly drawing so that all the fasteners are visible."

  9. 14
    show a violent emotional reaction wordnet
  10. 15
    To disprove or debunk. archaic, transitive

    "Astrology is required by many famous physicians […] doubted of, and exploded by others."

  11. 16
    drive from the stage by noisy disapproval wordnet
  12. 17
    To emerge suddenly. figuratively, intransitive

    "to explode into the mainstream; to explode onto the scene"

  13. 18
    cause to burst as a result of air pressure; of stop consonants like /p/, /t/, and /k/ wordnet
  14. 19
    To ejaculate. slang, vulgar
  15. 20
    destroy by exploding wordnet
  16. 21
    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."

  17. 22
    To decompress (data) that was previously imploded. transitive

    "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 […]"

  18. 23
    To open all doors and hatches on an automobile. transitive
  19. 24
    Of a die, to produce the highest face result and consequently reroll. intransitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
burstblow updetonateset offasplodebackfire

Antonyms

defusingimplodingportuguese comporreining

Example

"The news caused him to explode with anger."

Common questions

What does "explode" mean?

To fly apart with sudden violent force; to blow up, to burst, to detonate, to go off.

What is a synonym for "explode"?

Common synonyms include: burst, blow up, detonate, set off, asplode, backfire.

How do you use "explode" in a sentence?

The news caused him to explode with anger.

How do you pronounce "explode"?

Pronounced /ɪkˈsploʊd/.

Etymology

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.

More for "explode"

Synonyms

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