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   explode

   /ɪkˈspləʊd/

   verb

   • 1. burst or shatter violently and noisily as a result of rapid combustion, excessive internal pressure, or other process: "an ammunition lorry exploded with a roar" Similar blow updetonateblowburst (apart)fly apartfly into piecesshattergo offeruptbangcrackboominformal:go bangliterary:fulminatedetonateset offlet offdischargetouch offtrigger (off)fire offlet flyOpposite disarm
   • ▪ undergo a violent expansion in which much energy is released as a shock wave: technical "lead ensures that petrol burns rather than explodes"
   • 2. (of a violent emotion or a situation) arise or develop suddenly: "tension which could explode into violence at any time"
   • ▪ (of a person) suddenly give expression to violent emotion, especially anger: "he exploded with rage" Similar lose one's tempergive vent to one's feelingsblow upragerant and ravestormblusterget angrybecome enragedgo into a ragego berserkinformal:fly off the handlehit the roofgo through the roofgo up the wallblow one's cool/topblow a fuse/gasketflip one's lidfreak outgo wildgo bananassee redgo off the deep endlose one's raggo apeburst a blood vesselgo sparego crackersdo one's nutget one's knickers in a twistthrow a wobblyblow one's lid/stack
   • ▪ suddenly begin to move or start a new activity: "workers exploded into action as trade revived"
   • 3. increase suddenly in size, number, or extent: "the use of this drug exploded in the nineties" Similar increase suddenlyincrease rapidlyincrease dramaticallymushroomsnowballescalatemultiplyburgeonrocketshoot upaccelerateheighten
   • 4. show (a belief or theory) to be false or unfounded: "the myths that link smoking with glamour need to be exploded" Similar disproverefutedenyrebutinvalidategainsaynegaterepudiatediscreditdebunkbeliegive the lie toexposedeflatepuncturequashcontradictridiculeblow upblow sky-highknock the bottom out ofdrive a coach and horses throughcut down to sizepick holes ininformal:shoot full of holesshoot down (in flames)blow out of the waterrare:controvertconfutenegativeOpposite confirm

   Word Origin mid 16th century (in the sense ‘reject scornfully’): from Latin explodere ‘drive out by clapping, hiss off the stage’, from ex- ‘out’ + plaudere ‘to clap’. explode (sense 4) is derived from the original sense of the word. explode (sense 1) (late 18th century) evolved via an old sense ‘expel with violence and sudden noise’, perhaps influenced by obsolete displode ‘burst with a noise’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. exploder noun

   Scrabble Points: 17

   • E

     1

   • X

     8

   • P

     3

   • L

     1

   • O

     1

   • D

     2

   • E

     1

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