How to Use explode in a Sentence

explode

verb
  • One of the shells failed to explode.
  • She looked like she was ready to explode with anger.
  • The building exploded in flames.
  • The birds suddenly exploded into flight.
  • These occasional skirmishes may soon explode into all-out war.
  • Hold for a moment, then press off the floor to explode up to the top.
    — Brett Williams, Men's Health, 6 July 2023
  • Drive through your heels and explode out of the bottom of the squat.
    — Gabrielle Kassel, Health, 14 June 2024
  • Rockets explode and drones buzz as the voladores spin through the air.
    — Leila Miller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023
  • And the camera gives us a look at someone in the cars that are about to explode.
    — Chris Smith, BGR, 1 Dec. 2022
  • In the past few years, the launch rate of satellites has exploded.
    — Jason Thomson, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2023
  • If even five per cent of that were true, my head would explode.
    — Alex Baia, The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2022
  • The first grainy film clip shows a black bear exploding out of the trail camera’s frame.
    — WIRED, 8 July 2023
  • The massive spacecraft exploded in the air, and the test wrecked the launchpad.
    — Justine Calma, The Verge, 13 Aug. 2024
  • The slug exploded a shower of frost low and behind the deer.
    — Jeffrey A. Brunk, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The radio station got lucky, though, as the flash drive didn't explode.
    — Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 22 Mar. 2023
  • Then, explode up off the ground, driving your heels into the ground.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 26 Oct. 2022
  • This season exploded out of the gate with the Jackie feast in episode two.
    — Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2023
  • The devices were not very complex and likely did not explode at all, the source said.
    — CBS News, 25 Sep. 2023
  • His right still held a mine that somehow didn’t explode.
    — Alex Horton, Washington Post, 18 Dec. 2022
  • Leaves explode out of gaps in the wall and peek over the lidless roof, rustling in a breeze that threatens to blow Burke off the ladder.
    — Jacob Roberts, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Feb. 2022
  • Richardson exploded out of the blocks, rocketed around the turn and sped to the finish line in 21.61.
    — oregonlive, 9 July 2023
  • As towns like Lahaina burn, propane tanks explode, pipes melt and oil spills.
    — Sam Metz and Claire Rush, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2023
  • And sometimes, those bomblets don't explode right away.
    — CBS News, 9 July 2023
  • On Survivor, even the most perfect plans can explode in one’s face.
    — Nick Caruso, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2024
  • Some parts of the county have seen the homeless crisis explode.
    — Fox News, 22 Feb. 2022
  • Rather than explode or turn the other cheek, Elias just took a sip of the remaining brew.
    — Lisa Respers France, CNN, 15 Oct. 2022
  • Normally when people start a song there will be a catch in the voice that explodes out.
    — Erik Piepenburg, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023
  • About a third of the American bombs failed to explode on impact.
    — Saqib Rahim, NBC News, 16 May 2022
  • But those recent clashes did not explode into all-out war.
    — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 May 2025
  • The comments exploded with anecdotes from other women in fields who have similarly faced being misidentified or overlooked due to longstanding stereotypes.
    — Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'explode.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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