detonate

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

detonate
    v 1: cause to burst with a violent release of energy; "We
         exploded the nuclear bomb" [syn: {explode}, {detonate},
         {blow up}, {set off}]
    2: burst and release energy as through a violent chemical or
       physical reaction;"the bomb detonated at noon"; "The Molotov
       cocktail exploded" [syn: {detonate}, {explode}, {blow up}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Detonate \Det"o*nate\, v. t.
   To cause to explode; to cause to burn or inflame with a
   sudden report.
   [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Detonate \Det"o*nate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Detonated}; p. pr. &
   vb. n. {Detonating}.] [L. detonare, v. i., to thunder down;
   de + tonare to thunder; akin to E. thunder. See {Thunder},
   and cf. {Detonize}.]
   To explode with a sudden report; as, niter detonates with
   sulphur.
   [1913 Webster]

from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

56 Moby Thesaurus words for "detonate":
      backfire, bang, bark, blast, blow out, blow up, burst, bust,
      charge, coal, cock, crack, discharge, drop, eject, explode, feed,
      fell, fill up, fire, fire off, fuel, fuel up, fulminate, go off,
      gun, gun for, hit, let fly, let off, load, mushroom, oil, pelt,
      pepper, pick off, pistol, plug, pop, pot, potshoot, potshot, prime,
      refuel, riddle, set off, shoot, shoot at, shoot down, snipe, stoke,
      strike, take a potshot, top off, torpedo, touch off

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