Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun 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.
  • noun A violent bursting as a result of internal pressure.
  • noun The loud, sharp sound made as a result of either of these actions.
  • noun A sudden, often vehement outburst.
  • noun A sudden, great increase.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun 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.
  • noun 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.
  • noun A bursting into sudden activity; a violent outburst, as of natural forces or of human emotion, expression, or action.
  • noun The discharge of a nerve-cell; the emission of nervous energy from a cell or from a group of cells.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of exploding; detonation; a chemical action which causes the sudden formation of a great volume of expanded gas
  • noun A bursting with violence and loud noise, because of internal pressure
  • noun A violent outburst of feeling, manifested by excited language, action, etc..
  • noun a sudden and substantial increase; a rapid acceleration.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A violent release of energy (sometimes mechanical, nuclear, or chemical.)
  • noun A bursting due to pressure.
  • noun The sound of an explosion.
  • noun A sudden uncontrolled increase.
  • noun A sudden outburst.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the terminal forced release of pressure built up during the occlusive phase of a stop consonant
  • noun the act of exploding or bursting
  • noun a sudden great increase
  • noun a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
  • noun a sudden outburst
  • noun a golf shot from a bunker that typically moves sand as well as the golf ball
  • noun the noise caused by an explosion

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin explōsiō, explōsiōn-, a driving off, from explōsus, past participle of explōdere, to drive out by clapping; see explode.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin explōsiōnis, genitive form of explōsio, from explōdo ("I drive out by clapping"), from ex- and plōdo ("I clap or strike")

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