# explosion

Pronunciation: US say "ek-SPLOH-zhuhn" /ɛkˈsploʊ.ʒən/; UK say "ik-SPLOH-zhuhn" /ɪkˈspləʊ.ʒən/

## Noun

1. A violent release of energy, whether mechanical, chemical, or nuclear; an act or instance of exploding.
   - Simple: A sudden burst of energy that breaks things apart, like when a bomb goes off.
   - _The gas explosion destroyed half the warehouse before crews could arrive._
   - _Investigators studied the debris patterns from the explosions to determine their cause._
2. A sudden and rapid increase, expansion, or bursting out, often beyond control.
   - Simple: A sudden, very fast increase or growth in something.
   - _The smartphone era brought an explosion of new apps and services._
   - _Biologists are tracking the explosion in the deer population since wolves disappeared from the region._
3. The loud sound produced by an explosion.
   - Simple: The loud bang you hear when something blows up.
   - _An explosion echoed across the valley seconds after the flash._
   - _Neighbors reported hearing two muffled explosions around midnight._

## Origin

From French explosion, from Latin explōsiōnis (genitive of explōsio), which comes from explōdo meaning "I drive out by clapping," formed from ex- and plōdo ("I clap or strike").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/explosion (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).