explosion — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A violent release of energy (sometimes mechanical, nuclear, or chemical); an act or instance of exploding.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   A man was injured by an explosion caused by drilling into a missed shot at the Mendota mine above Silver Plume, Colo.

2. The sound of an explosion.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

3. A sudden, uncontrolled or rapid increase, expansion, or bursting out.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (2)

   As with the Lejeuneaceae, this pattern of massive speciation appears to be correlated with the Cretaceous explosion of the angiosperms and the simultaneous creation of a host of new microenvironments, differing in humidity, light intensity, texture, etc.

   Meteorologists describe this medieval warm epoch as the ‘Little Optimum’, and they cite it as the explanation of such phenomena as the Viking explosion into Russia, France, Iceland, and the northwestern Atlantic.

   Her image is supposedly rebellious, but she looks scrubbed and healthy, with an explosion of blonde hair and generous curves shoved into too-tight clothing.

   More examples (1)

   All this has led to an explosion of protest across China, including among a middle class that has discovered nimbyism. That worries the government, which fears that environmental activism could become the foundation for more general political opposition. It is therefore dealing with pollution in two ways—suppression and mitigation.

Noun

1. a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction

   Synonyms

   detonationblowup

   Broader terms

   discharge

2. the act of exploding or bursting

   Synonyms

   burst

   Broader terms

   change of integrity

   Examples

   the explosion of the firecrackers awoke the children

   the burst of an atom bomb creates enormous radiation aloft

3. a sudden great increase

   Broader terms

   increase

   Examples

   the population explosion

   the information explosion

4. the noise caused by an explosion

   Broader terms

   noise

   Examples

   the explosion was heard a mile away

5. the terminal forced release of pressure built up during the occlusive phase of a stop consonant

   Synonyms

   plosion

   Broader terms

   releasetone ending

6. a sudden outburst

   Broader terms

   effusiongushoutburstblowupebullition

   Examples

   an explosion of laughter

   an explosion of rage

7. a golf shot from a bunker that typically moves sand as well as the golf ball

   Broader terms

   golf strokegolf shotswing