Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Relating to or having the nature of an explosion.
- adj. Tending to explode.
- n. A substance, especially a prepared chemical, that explodes or causes explosion.
- n. Linguistics A plosive.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Pertaining to or of the nature of explosion; tending or liable to explode, or to cause explosion: as, the explosive force of gunpowder; explosive mixture; explosive paroxysms of nerve-force.
- In philology, involving in utterance the breach of a complete closure of the organs; not continuous; mute; forming a complete vocal stop: as, an explosive consonant. See II., 2.
- n. Any substance by whose decomposition or combustion gas is generated with such rapidity that it can be used for blasting or in firearms. Of these substances gunpowder, often called simply powder, is by far the best-known, and has been in use for a long time. Guncotton, nitroglycerin, and various preparations containing nitroglycerin, known as potentite, forcite, etc., are some of the explosives more recently introduced. The principal explosive agents used for military purposes are guncotton, dynamite, the various gunpowders, nitroglycerin, and the fulminates. See these words.
- n. In philology, a non-continuous or mute consonant, as k, t, p. Also explodent.
- n. The principal classes of explosive substances are: gunpowder
- n. nitroglycerin and its compounds, the most important being dynamite
- n. gun-cotton and similar nitro-substitution compounds
- n. picric acid and the picrates
- n. fulminates.
- n. Sprengel safety-mixtures
- n. nitrate mixtures other than gunpowder, and chlorate mixtures. There are many varieties of each class.
Wiktionary
- n. Explosive substance.
- adj. With the capability to, or likely to, explode.
- adj. Having the character of an explosion.
- adj. slang Easily driven to anger, usually with reference to a person.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Driving or bursting out with violence and noise; causing explosion.
- n. An explosive agent; a compound or mixture susceptible of a rapid chemical reaction, as gunpowder, TNT, dynamite, or nitro-glycerine.
- n. A sound produced by an explosive impulse of the breath; (Phonetics) one of consonants
p ,b ,t ,d ,k ,g , which are sounded with a sort of explosive power of voice. [SeeGuide to Pronunciation , √ 155-7, 184.]
WordNet 3.0
- adj. liable to lead to sudden change or violence
- adj. sudden and loud
- n. a chemical substance that undergoes a rapid chemical change (with the production of gas) on being heated or struck
- adj. serving to explode or characterized by explosion or sudden outburst
Examples
“Surgical History of the Rebellion, "and as yet have failed to find any case of wound or death reported as having occurred by an explosive or poisoned musket ball, excepting that on page 91 of volume II of said work there is a table of four thousand and two (4,002) cases of gunshot wounds of the scalp, _two_ (2) of which occurred by _explosive musket balls_.”
“In explaining the move, Dimitroff repeatedly used the term "explosive" to describe his vision for a unit that ranked seventh overall with 379 points last season.”
“• When AGNA could not acquire a sample of a certain explosive to test canines, DS changed the contract standards so that the canines would not be have to be tested to detect this particular explosive, which is available in Afghanistan.”
The Huffington Post: David Isenberg: At Least They're Not Doing Vodka Butt Shots Anymore
“Another recommendation, more use of what they call explosive trace portals.”
“HERE, the implication of a vibrant return of private banking institutions to the money creation business would be in a word explosive.”
“Edmonton police found what they describe as explosive devices in the car and on one of the suspects.”
“They have an excellent knack of coming up with what we call explosive gains," Tressel said.”
“It said its investigators did not encounter any DS personnel with expertise in explosive detection canines.”
The Washington Post: Blackwater firm’s embassy dogs not up to speed, audit says
“For their part, the contractors said “no outside organization with expertise in explosive detection canines had ever reviewed their operations in Iraq or Afghanistan.””
The Washington Post: Blackwater firm’s embassy dogs not up to speed, audit says
“The ruling said the two soldiers inappropriately ordered a 9-year-old boy to open bags they thought might contain explosive material.”
Voice of America: 2 Israeli Soldiers Convicted of Using Palestinian boy as Human Shield
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘explosive’.
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SEDE - weapons
ammunition, anti-aircraft mac..., anti-vehicle mine, automatic machine..., ballistic missile..., bazooka, biological weapons, booby trap, bunker-busting bomb, chemical weapons, cluster bomb, light battleship and 218 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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The Ex-acting Xray
Out of this world via the "X-express".
exorbitant, exuberant, extant, exultant, expectorate, exhilarate, excommunicate, exacting, extenuate, exculpate, extirpate, expostulate and 110 more...
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Apples to Apples: Green Cards
A complete list of the green cards (adjectives) from the popular word game.
absurd, addictive, adorable, aged, American, ancient, animated, annoying, appetizing, arrogant, awesome, awkward and 237 more...
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Aliisza's Words
peculiar, syndactyly, efficacy, transcendent, visceral, antagonist, plausible, velocity, seraphim, vanadium, autophobia, evanescent and 86 more...
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35 more words I like, started 11/20/08
rapscallion, pipsqueak, nurdle, squinch, typography, cross-hatch, contraption, frangipani, puny, explosive, cascades, treacherous and 16 more...
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introduction to death
words that cause death,or defines death.
detonate, explosive, ammunition, rocket, shrapnel, grenade, nitroglycerin, propellant, fireworks, fuel, combustible, electricity and 62 more...
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Benladen's Words
phallocentric, disproportionate, bewave, distraught, uncoordinated, disgraceful, bewayne, beweltered, sensical, cunt, extrapolate, dysphoria and 86 more...
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ninjapirate's Words
explosive, cesium, elevator, dachshund, sandwich, automobile
Tweets
Looking for tweets for explosive.

bilby "...the breach of a complete closure of the organs." Apr 5, 2011