explosive
Americanadjective
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of, involving, or characterized by an explosion or explosions
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capable of exploding or tending to explode
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potentially violent or hazardous; dangerous
an explosive situation
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phonetics another word for plosive
noun
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a substance that decomposes rapidly under certain conditions with the production of gases, which expand by the heat of the reaction. The energy released is used in firearms, blasting, and rocket propulsion
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a plosive consonant; stop
Other Word Forms
- explosively adverb
- explosiveness noun
- nonexplosive adjective
- nonexplosively adverb
- nonexplosiveness noun
- unexplosive adjective
- unexplosively adverb
- unexplosiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of explosive
First recorded in 1660–70; explos(ion) + -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Khamenei survived an assassination attempt in 1981, when explosives hidden in a tape recorder injured him and deprived him for life of the use of his right arm.
When giving evidence, Pereira insisted the device he left outside MI5 would not have been mistaken for an explosive, but added: "The news inside was dynamite."
From BBC
"So of course we were going to have more action and explosives. I think we are going to be safe in that aspect."
From BBC
The decision finalizes this phase of the explosive, yearslong case that has pitted the environmental organization against the company Energy Transfer, opening the door to an appeals process in the closely watched legal saga.
From Barron's
The IDF told the BBC that it had provided "initial medical treatment" to Jad after verifying that he was not wearing a hidden explosive device.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
