implosion

UK: /ɪmˈpləʊʒən/ US: /ɪmˈploʊʒən/ ,(im plō′zhən)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

im•plo•sion  (im plō′zhən), n. 

1. the act of imploding;
   a bursting inward (opposed to explosion).
2. Phonetics
   • Phonetics the occlusive phase of stop consonants.
   • Phonetics (of a stop consonant) the nasal release heard in the common pronunciation of eaten, sudden, or mitten, in which the vowel of the final syllable is greatly reduced.
   • Phonetics the ingressive release of a suction stop. Cf. plosion.

• im-¹ + (ex)plosion 1875–80

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

implosion / ɪmˈpləʊʒən/ noun

1. the act or process of imploding: the implosion of a light bulb
2. the suction or inhalation of breath employed in the pronunciation of an ingressive consonant

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

im•plode /ɪmˈploʊd/   v. [no object] , -plod•ed, -plod•ing. 

1. to burst inward (opposed to explode).

im•plo•sion /ɪmˈploʊʒən/  n. 

[uncountable] the likelihood of implosion.

[countable] An implosion would wreck most of the stabilizing gear.

im•plo•sive /ɪmˈploʊsɪv/  adj. See -plod-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

im•plode  (im plōd′), v., -plod•ed, -plod•ing. 
v.i. 

1. to burst inward (opposed to explode).

v.t. 

2. Phonetics to pronounce by implosion.

• im-¹ + (ex)plode 1880–85