Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A release of mechanical, chemical, or nuclear energy in a sudden and often violent manner with the generation of high temperature and usually with the release of gases.
- noun A violent bursting as a result of internal pressure.
- noun The loud, sharp sound made as a result of either of these actions.
- noun A sudden, often vehement outburst.
- noun A sudden, great increase.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The act of exploding; a sudden expansion of a substance, as gunpowder or an elastic fluid, with force and, usually, a loud report; a sudden and loud discharge: as, the explosion of powder; an explosion of fire-damp.
- noun A sudden bursting, or breaking up or in pieces, from an internal or other force; a blowing up or tearing apart: as, the explosion of a steam-boiler.
- noun A bursting into sudden activity; a violent outburst, as of natural forces or of human emotion, expression, or action.
- noun The discharge of a nerve-cell; the emission of nervous energy from a cell or from a group of cells.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The act of exploding; detonation; a chemical action which causes the sudden formation of a great volume of expanded gas
- noun A bursting with violence and loud noise, because of internal pressure
- noun A violent outburst of feeling, manifested by excited language, action, etc..
- noun a sudden and substantial increase; a rapid acceleration.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
violent release ofenergy (sometimesmechanical ,nuclear , orchemical .) - noun A
bursting due topressure . - noun The
sound of an explosion. - noun A sudden uncontrolled
increase . - noun A sudden
outburst .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the terminal forced release of pressure built up during the occlusive phase of a stop consonant
- noun the act of exploding or bursting
- noun a sudden great increase
- noun a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
- noun a sudden outburst
- noun a golf shot from a bunker that typically moves sand as well as the golf ball
- noun the noise caused by an explosion
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The radius, _p b_, of the upper circle is termed the _crater radius_; the line _o p_, drawn from the centre of the charge perpendicular to the surface where the explosion takes place, is termed the _line of least resistance_; the line _o b_, drawn from the centre of the powder to any point in the circumference of the upper circle, is termed the _radius of explosion_.
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The term explosion in its original introduction denoted the making of a _noise_; it grew to comprehend the idea of _force_ accompanied with violent outburst; it is advancing to a stage in which it implies _combustion_ as associated with destruction, yet somewhat distinct from the abstract idea of the resolution of any form of matter into its elementary constituents.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 288, July 9, 1881 Various
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Cochrane had prepared two or three vessels as what he called explosion-ships.
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"I'll use the word 'explosion' loosely," Singer said.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com The Huffington Post News Editors 2012
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And why the launch coincides with what she calls the explosion of medieval thinking.
News 2012
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Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, is pushing reforms to company laws to curb what he called the "explosion" in salaries and bonuses for the leaders of public companies.
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011
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Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, is pushing reforms to company laws to curb what he called the "explosion" in salaries and bonuses for the leaders of public companies.
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011
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Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, is pushing reforms to company laws to curb what he called the "explosion" in salaries and bonuses for the leaders of public companies.
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011
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So what you point to as an "explosion", is just a continuation of a long process of evolutionary adaptation.
Continuation… 2008
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It is the biggest single public-works project launched in response to the spill of about four millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico after an explosion from a BP-owned well in April.
Louisiana Curtails Coastal Plan Jeffrey Ball 2010
oroboros commented on the word explosion
Kaboom!
November 6, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word explosion
Move the cursor.
November 6, 2009