Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Relating to or having the nature of an explosion.
- adjective Tending to explode.
- noun A substance, especially a prepared chemical, that explodes or causes explosion.
- noun Linguistics A plosive.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The principal classes of explosive substances are: gunpowder
- noun nitroglycerin and its compounds, the most important being dynamite
- noun gun-cotton and similar nitro-substitution compounds
- noun picric acid and the picrates
- noun fulminates
- noun Sprengel safety-mixtures
- noun nitrate mixtures other than gunpowder, and chlorate mixtures. There are many varieties of each class.
- 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.
- noun Any substance by whose decomposition or combustion gas is generated with such rapidity that it can be used for blasting or in firearms.
- noun In philology, a non-continuous or mute consonant, as k, t, p. Also
explodent .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Driving or bursting out with violence and noise; causing explosion.
- noun An explosive agent; a compound or mixture susceptible of a rapid chemical reaction, as
gunpowder ,TNT ,dynamite , ornitro-glycerine . - noun 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.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Explosive substance.
- adjective With the capability to, or likely to,
explode . - adjective Having the character of an explosion.
- adjective slang Easily driven to
anger , usually with reference to aperson .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective liable to lead to sudden change or violence
- adjective sudden and loud
- noun a chemical substance that undergoes a rapid chemical change (with the production of gas) on being heated or struck
- adjective serving to explode or characterized by explosion or sudden outburst
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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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_.
A Refutation of the Charges Made against the Confederate States of America of Having Authorized the Use of Explosive and Poisoned Musket and Rifle Balls during the Late Civil War of 1861-65 Horace Edwin Hayden 1877
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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.
SI.com 2011
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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.
SI.com 2011
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• 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.
David Isenberg: At Least They're Not Doing Vodka Butt Shots Anymore David Isenberg 2010
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Another recommendation, more use of what they call explosive trace portals.
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HERE, the implication of a vibrant return of private banking institutions to the money creation business would be in a word explosive.
Forbes.com: News Forbes Blogs 2011
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Edmonton police found what they describe as explosive devices in the car and on one of the suspects.
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"They have an excellent knack of coming up with what we call explosive gains," Tressel said.
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It said its investigators did not encounter any DS personnel with expertise in explosive detection canines.
Blackwater firm’s embassy dogs not up to speed, audit says Jeff Stein 2010
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For their part, the contractors said “no outside organization with expertise in explosive detection canines had ever reviewed their operations in Iraq or Afghanistan.”
Blackwater firm’s embassy dogs not up to speed, audit says Jeff Stein 2010
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The thermobaric weapon, also known as an aerosol bomb or fuel air explosive, is a two-stage munition.
What are thermobaric weapons and how do they work? Virginia Harrison 2022
bilby commented on the word explosive
"...the breach of a complete closure of the organs."
April 5, 2011