explosion
pronunciation
How to pronounce explosion in British English:
UK [ɪkˈspləʊʒn]
How to pronounce explosion in American English:
US [ɪkˈsploʊʒn]
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- Noun:
- a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
- the act of exploding or bursting something
- a sudden great increase
- the noise caused by an explosion
- the terminal forced release of pressure built up during the occlusive phase of a stop consonant
- a sudden outburst
- a golf shot from a bunker that typically moves sand as well as the golf ball
Word Origin
- explosion (n.)
- 1620s, "action of driving out with violence and noise," from French explosion, from Latin explosionem (nominative explosio) "a driving off by clapping," noun of action from past participle stem of explodere "drive out by clapping" (see explode for origin and sense evolution). Meaning "a going off with violence and noise" is from 1660s. Sense of "a rapid increase or development" is first attested 1953.
Example
- 1. The atomic explosion is always accompanied by huge fireball .
- 2. But an explosion can happen by mistake rather than by design .
- 3. This caused an explosion of speculation on twitter .
- 4. But such protests increasingly lack focus , reflecting an explosion of political activism .
- 5. Killed this past november along with 16 personnel in an explosion at a revolutionary guards base outside tehran .