detonate

UK: /ˈdɛtəneɪt/ US: /ˈdɛtənˌeɪt/ ,(det′n āt′)

Inflections of 'detonate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

detonates

v 3rd person singular

detonating

v pres p

detonated

v past

detonated

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

det•o•nate /ˈdɛtənˌeɪt/   v., -nat•ed, -nat•ing. 

1. to (cause to) explode: [no obj]:
   The warhead detonated against the hull of the submarine.
   [~ + object]
   The soldiers detonated the explosives by remote control.

det•o•na•tor, n. 

[countable] Someone had removed the detonator, so the bomb wouldn't explode.

See -ton-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

det•o•nate  (det′n āt′), v., -nat•ed, -nat•ing. 
v.i. 

1. to explode with suddenness and violence.

v.t. 

2. to cause (something explosive) to explode.

• Latin dētonātus thundered forth (past participle of dētonāre), equivalent. to dē- de- + ton(āre) to thunder + -ātus -ate¹
• 1720–30;

det•o•na•ble  (det′n ə bəl), det′o•nat′a•ble, adj.  det′o•na•bil′i•ty, det′o•nat′a•bil′i•ty, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

detonate / ˈdɛtəˌneɪt/ verb

1. to cause (a bomb, mine, etc) to explode or (of a bomb, mine, etc) to explode; set off or be set off

Etymology: 18th Century: from Latin dētonāre to thunder down, from de- + tonāre to thunder