Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A release of mechanical, chemical, or nuclear energy in a sudden and often violent manner with the generation of high temperature and usually with the release of gases.
- n. A violent bursting as a result of internal pressure.
- n. The loud, sharp sound made as a result of either of these actions.
- n. A sudden, often vehement outburst: an explosion of rage.
- n. A sudden, great increase: a population explosion; the explosion of illegal drug use.
- n. Linguistics See plosion.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The act of exploding; a sudden expansion of a substance, as gunpowder or an elastic fluid, with force and, usually, a loud report; a sudden and loud discharge: as, the explosion of powder; an explosion of fire-damp.
- n. A sudden bursting, or breaking up or in pieces, from an internal or other force; a blowing up or tearing apart: as, the explosion of a steam-boiler.
- n. A bursting into sudden activity; a violent outburst, as of natural forces or of human emotion, expression, or action.
- n. The discharge of a nerve-cell; the emission of nervous energy from a cell or from a group of cells.
Wiktionary
- n. A violent release of energy (sometimes mechanical, nuclear, or chemical.)
- n. A bursting due to pressure.
- n. The sound of an explosion.
- n. A sudden increase.
- n. A sudden outburst.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The act of exploding; detonation; a chemical action which causes the sudden formation of a great volume of expanded gas
- n. A bursting with violence and loud noise, because of internal pressure
- n. A violent outburst of feeling, manifested by excited language, action, etc..
- n. a sudden and substantial increase; a rapid acceleration.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the terminal forced release of pressure built up during the occlusive phase of a stop consonant
- n. the act of exploding or bursting
- n. a sudden great increase
- n. a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
- n. a sudden outburst
- n. a golf shot from a bunker that typically moves sand as well as the golf ball
- n. the noise caused by an explosion
Etymologies
- Latin explōsiō, explōsiōn-, a driving off, from explōsus, past participle of explōdere, to drive out by clapping; see explode.
Examples
“The radius, _p b_, of the upper circle is termed the _crater radius_; the line _o p_, drawn from the centre of the charge perpendicular to the surface where the explosion takes place, is termed the _line of least resistance_; the line _o b_, drawn from the centre of the powder to any point in the circumference of the upper circle, is termed the _radius of explosion_.”
“The term explosion in its original introduction denoted the making of a _noise_; it grew to comprehend the idea of _force_ accompanied with violent outburst; it is advancing to a stage in which it implies _combustion_ as associated with destruction, yet somewhat distinct from the abstract idea of the resolution of any form of matter into its elementary constituents.”
“Cochrane had prepared two or three vessels as what he called explosion-ships.”
“I'll use the word 'explosion' loosely," Singer said.”
“And why the launch coincides with what she calls the explosion of medieval thinking.”
“Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, is pushing reforms to company laws to curb what he called the "explosion" in salaries and bonuses for the leaders of public companies.”
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph
“So what you point to as an "explosion", is just a continuation of a long process of evolutionary adaptation.”
“It is the biggest single public-works project launched in response to the spill of about four millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico after an explosion from a BP-owned well in April.”
“Timothy Mackay, killed shortly after the explosion, is the CEO of Holcim Indonesia and one of the meeting's attendees.”
Global Voices in English » Indonesia: Bomb Explosions at Kuningan, Jakarta
“The viewer sees the explosion from the engineer's vantage point, in a nifty little bit of special effects-making that -- like the logistical challenges of making children appear to explode -- would seem to have taken long enough to allow this ad's authors to re-consider their plan.”
The Washington Post: Reduce your carbon footprint or get ready to explode
Lists
‘explosion’ hasn't been added to any lists yet.
hernesheir Move the cursor. Nov 6, 2009
oroboros Kaboom! Nov 6, 2009