explodes

verb

present tense third-person singular of explode
1
as in detonates
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure the building was wrecked when a powerful bomb exploded

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shatters
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive the bomb was so powerful that it exploded windows in several neighboring buildings

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in erupts
to develop suddenly and violently the mayor's latest unpopular decision caused long-suppressed resentment to explode into open anger

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of explodes When the gang war that’s been building all along between the Greasers and the Socs finally explodes in the second act, the violence is conveyed through movement, lighting, sound and just all around scenic brilliance. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 Continue reading … ‘NEVER-ENDING’ — Huge number of noncitizens found on voter rolls as Mike Lee explodes on 'honor system'. — FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Once the mook is within blasting range, Reacher explodes the tank with a bullet — making both the man and the floor as holey as Swiss cheese. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 Control Resonant, the sequel, takes most of that game’s gorgeous visual language and explodes it all over an open-world New York City, to mesmerizing results. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026 Directed by Venice prize-winner John Swab, Copperhead‘s plot is thrust into motion when an undercover drug deal explodes into violence. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026 That explodes into action in one startlingly seedy scene involving a rape in full view of revelers at a hotel party. — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026 The truck eventually explodes, seemingly incinerating the T-1000. — ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026 Whenever something or someone explodes in popularity seemingly overnight, psyop accusations tend to follow. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explodes
  1. detonates
  2. shatters
  3. erupts
  4. pops
  5. smashes
  6. blows
  7. demolishes
  8. destroys
Verb
  • Forever Home FilmNation Entertainment, the Mediapro Studio A corpse beneath an idyllic home detonates this domestic thriller adapted from Graham Norton’s bestseller.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The missile, called a PrSM—for precision-strike missile—detonates midair and spreads thousands of small tungsten fragments in all directions.
    — Robin Wright, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of detonates
Verb
  • Barry Bonds wraps up his record-breaking season with his 73rd homer and shatters the slugging percentage record that Babe Ruth had owned for 81 years.
    — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • When a severe heatwave shatters her family’s fragile routine and exposes her father’s dementia, Anna’s world is thrown into uncertainty.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of shatters
Verb
  • Continue reading … -- POLITICS MUD SEASON — Michigan Senate debate erupts into personal attacks as El-Sayed and Rogers clash.
    — , FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • When Hanne, a staff member of a struggling animal rescue, unexpectedly becomes executor of a wealthy hunting family’s estate, a bitter battle over the inheritance erupts.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of erupts
Verb
  • Out of his pocket Kip pops what looks like a top-hat fragment.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The two talk about the smoke shop that opened nearby, and Bennett pops her head in the door to take a look around.
    — Dan Snyder, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of pops
Verb
  • The company essentially smashes the cooler into a long, slim form low enough to slide under its Box beds while one or two people snore cozily away on top.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2026
  • His acumen for promotion, particularly in international markets, helped the commercial success of box office smashes such as Saturday Night Fever and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of smashes
Verb
  • Miami fans had plenty to stress about as the UM offense misfired and Florida State responded to potential knockout blows with huge plays.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But when the final whistle blows, another job is often waiting for them the next morning.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of blows
Verb
  • An $8,000 Ryvid Anthem or a $10,000 Maeving RM1S will deliver broadly similar urban usability, while the $12,500 Zero FXE absolutely demolishes it on power-per-dollar.
    — Utkarsh Sood June 12, New Atlas, 12 June 2026
  • The latest filing demolishes the timeworn claim that DOGE was infiltrated into Social Security in order to responsibly ferret out fraud and overspending.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Definition of demolishes
Verb
  • Unlike a measurement that absorbs or destroys the photons, this method can extract information while preserving the photons themselves.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Raking or shredding those leaves destroys the next generation.
    — Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroys

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exploded
explodes
exploding
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Cite this Entry

“Explodes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explodes. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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