Meanings
noundetonation (countable and uncountable, plural detonations)
plural detonations
- countableuncountablechemistryAn explosion or sudden report made by the near-instantaneous decomposition or combustion of unstable substances. Specifically, combustion that spreads supersonically via shock compression.
the detonation of gun cotton
- broadlycountableuncountablechemistryAny sudden explosion made by an exothermic process (whether chemical or not) that produces a supersonic shock wave.
carbon detonation
1 more example
a nuclear detonation
- countableuncountableengineeringEngine knocking, a type of improper combustion in gasoline piston engines.
Synonyms & antonyms
with respect to speed of propagation
Opposite
Broader
nouna violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchdétonation
- Englishdetonation
From French détonation; equivalent to detonate + -ion.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تَفْجِير
- تَفْجِير (tafjīr)an explosion
Bulgarian взрив, експлозия
- взрив (vzriv)an explosion
- експлозия (eksplozija)an explosion
- детонация (detonacija)an explosion
Catalan detonació
- detonacióan explosion
Chinese Mandarin 爆炸
- 爆炸 (bàozhà)an explosion
Danish brag, eksplosion
- bragan explosion
- eksplosionan explosion
- knaldan explosion
Finnish räjähdys, paukku
- räjähdysan explosion
- paukkuan explosion
- pamahdusan explosion
French détonation
- détonationan explosion
German Detonation
- Detonationan explosion
Hungarian detonáció, kopogás
- detonációmechanical engineering: engine knocking, a type of improper combustion in gasoline piston engines
- kopogásmechanical engineering: engine knocking, a type of improper combustion in gasoline piston engines
- detonációan explosion
- robbanásan explosion
- durranásan explosion
- dörejan explosion
- robbantásan explosion
Irish madhmadh
- madhmadhan explosion
Italian detonazione
- detonazionean explosion
Japanese 爆轟
- 爆轟 (bakugō)an explosion
Polish detonacja, detonacja
- detonacjamechanical engineering: engine knocking, a type of improper combustion in gasoline piston engines
- detonacjaan explosion
Portuguese detonação
- detonaçãoan explosion
Romanian detonare, explodare
- detonarean explosion
- explodarean explosion
- exploziean explosion
- detonațiean explosion
Russian детона́ция, взрыв
- детона́ция (detonácija)an explosion
- взрыв (vzryv)an explosion
Spanish detonación
- detonaciónan explosion
Swedish detonation
- detonationan explosion
Tagalog pagpapasabog
- pagpapasabogan explosion
Welsh taniad
- taniadan explosion
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with detonation
informationeducationlocationapplicationassociationadministrationorganizationcorporationregistrationAsianfoundationcommunicationpopulationnavigationstationaccommodationoperationpublicationvacationtransportationevaluationimplementationinstallationnation
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
detonation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detonation
MLA
“detonation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detonation. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “detonation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detonation.
Source: detonation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.