Difference between "detonate" and "explode"

Question

What is the difference between "detonate" and "explode"? Are they interchangeable?

Answer 1

The meanings of the words "explode" and "detonate" overlap. In some contexts either can be used. In other contexts only one will be appropriate.

In general "detonate is most often used for an intentional act, or the result of such an act.

(1) The technician detonated the bomb by sending a radio signal.

The word "explode could also be used in sentence (1), but would be somewhat less common.

The word "detonate is most often used when speaking or writing about explosive devices, such as bombs, that is devices designed to cause an explosion. It is also used with substances, such as dynamite, TNT, and nitroglycerine, (and many others) used in the construction of such devices. It is not generally used in things that explode, but were never intended or designed to do so. In particular, it is rarely if ever use in describing mechanical explosions. For example, one might write:

(2) The boiler was overheated, so it exploded.

One would not use "detonate in sentence (2). Similarly one might well write of a "steam explosion", but rarely if ever of a "steam detonation". This Google Ngram shows this difference in usage within the Google corpus.

As always with Google Ngrams, one should remember the limits of this tool. It shows only short phrases in published books and magazines. It will not show instances where they key words occur, but are separated by other words. It notes the publication date of the book or magazine, not the date the text was written. It does not note whether the author was a skilled or unskilled user of English. And so on. But within those limits it can be a powerful tool.

The word "explode" is more general than the words "detonate". In most if not all cases where "detonate". would be properly and naturally used, "explode" could be used by a fluent speaker, and would be understood by a fluent speaker. The reverse is not true.

The word "explode" also has a number of metaphoric or figurative senses. These are in general not shared by the word "detonate". For example, one may explode a myth or a rumor, meaning to demolish it by showing it to be untrue.

(3) That theory is long exploded.

means that the theory has been disproved, and is no longer taken seriously. One would not use "detonated" in that sense.

One can also use "explode" of an organization.

(4) The US Whig party exploded in the first half of the nineteenth century.

This means that then organization dissolved, more or less suddenly and violently, leaving little behind.

A person may be said to "explode", meaning to show sudden and often violent emotion. One would not use "detonate" in such a sense.

An "exploded view diagram" shows an object or assemply with its various parts separated, as if it had flown to pieces. Usually lines or arrows show how these parts relate to one another. One would not write of such a diagram as a "detonated view diagram".

Sources

Explode

• Collins

Sense 1

If an object such as a bomb explodes or if someone or something explodes it, it bursts loudly and with great force, often causing damage or injury.

Sense 2

If someone explodes, they express strong feelings suddenly and violently.
Do you fear that you'll burst into tears or explode with anger in front of her?

Sense 3

If something explodes, it increases suddenly and rapidly in number or intensity.
The population explodes to 40,000 during the tourist season.

Sense 4

If someone explodes a theory or myth, they prove that it is wrong or impossible.
*Electricity privatization has exploded the myth of cheap nuclear power. *

• Macmillan

(Sense 1) To burst with a lot of force and a loud noise

(SENSE 1a) To make something burst with a lot of force and a loud noise

(Sense 1b) To make a sudden loud noise

Thunder exploded over the meadow.

Nouns frequently used as subjects of explode:
 bomb, device, firework, grenade, shell

(sense 2) to express strong emotions in a sudden, noisy, and often violent way

(sense 3) To increase a lot in size, amount, or importance over a very short period of time

(sense 4) to prove that a story or theory that many people believe is in fact false

(sense 5) to move very quickly
A group of youths exploded out of the door.

(I will edit this answer to add additional sources within the next 24 hours)

Answer 2

detonate is something you do or a thing does. It means to cause to explode.

detonate means to set off. It means: to "light the fuse" and make it explode. It refers to doing something to a detonator (lighting it, hitting a switch) so something blows up or explodes.

They detonated or set off the bomb near the border.

When the bomb was detonated [by them], it exploded.

A bomb explodes if it is detonated.

Explode is often used as metaphor: They exploded with laughter.

Answer 3

In informal usage, many people will see no difference between 'detonate' and 'explode', and may use them interchangeably. Ordinary dictionaries often state that 'detonate' means e.g. 'explode or cause a bomb to explode'.

However, there is a formal or technical difference, which will be known to some people, including current or former military personnel, people who are trained chemists, employed in mining, demolition, etc, or those who have studied military history with a focus on weapons and ammunition, or those who are curious and moderately widely read. The following is a brief description of the formal difference:

There are two kinds of explosives, low explosives, and high explosives. What decides to which group a particular material belongs is the speed at which the explosive chemical reaction moves through the material.

Only high explosives detonate.

Low explosives such as gunpowder deflagrate rather than detonate. The reaction speed in the explosive material is generally from 600 to less than 900 metres per second. As the chemical reaction proceeds, a large volume of hot gas is produced, which expands outwards and causes damage.

High explosives detonate. The reaction speed (detonation velocity) in the material is greater than 1500 metres per second. This is higher than the speed of sound in the material. The reaction proceeds through the material as a shock wave. Some high explosives are nitroglycerine (3000 to 6000 metres per second), and dynamite (similar speeds). A much greater volume of hotter gas is produced, and also an atmospheric shockwave. High explosives are much more destructive. In general, the detonation has to be started by some external effect, such as a small amount of specialised explosive in contact with the high explosive.

Answer 4

They’re synonyms, but there are a few subtleties. The most important is that detonation is a secondary explosion of something like a high explosive that would usually be safe to handle. A detonator is a charge of primary explosive that is needed to detonate another, more stable, explosive.

Detonate can be used in two ways.

• Transitively, where the direct object is the thing that explodes and the subject is what makes it explode: “A hydrostatic pistol [...] detonated the charge.”
• Intransitively, where the subject is the thing that explodes: “a U-boat's pressure hull would not rupture unless the charge detonated within about 15 ft (4.6 m)”

Explode is normally used in the second way. Something explodes. A transitive usage exists, but is much less common and more informal. To put some numbers on it: In Google Ngrams, “the device exploded” is twice as common as either “the device detonated” or “detonated the device,” which are used equally often. It is fourteen times more common than “exploded the device.” Furthermore, all the matches for “exploded the device” from before the late twentieth century are false positives (such as, “... exploded. The device ...”). Neither “he exploded the device” nor “they exploded the device” are in the corpus of books, and “he detonated the device” is. However, I have heard “exploded [something]” in spoken American English.

The word detonate also is normally only used for a powerful explosive that needs some specific procedure to ignite. For example, a modern artillery shell that requires a firing cap either explodes or detonates, but a cannon with old-fashioned black powder or a pocket of combustible gas can only explode, not detonate. This isn’t always rigorously followed. Again, to put some numbers on it, in Google Ngrams, “charges exploded” is only 78% more common than “charges detonated,” or “dynamite exploded” only 38% more common than “dynamite detonated,” but “gas exploded” is nearly 43 times more common than “gas detonated,” and things like “black powder” or “chemicals” either “explode” many times more often than they “detonate,” or “detonate” so rarely that it isn’t in the corpus at all. I would guess that “detonate” is used more loosely in speech than in books, but I still recommend that you use “detonate” only with high explosives.

Explode also has several other figurative meanings that detonate does not, such as “rapidly increase” (intransitive) and “discredit” (transitive). For example, the expression “explode the myth” is common.

Answer 5

Detonate is used specifically for bombs and other mechanical explosives. For example, your balloon exploded when you popped it because it isn't a bomb.

Answer 6

Explode is more general than detonate. That is, all detonations are explosions, but some explosions are not detonations.

A detonation is specifically a chemical explosion (and in technical use, means a high-explosive reaction that travels by shock wave, as Michael Harvey's answer explains).

There are other kinds of explosion which are not detonations, including:

• volcanic explosions that happen naturally at the surface of the Earth,
• fuel tanks blowing up or pressure vessels bursting,
• exploded diagrams of systems (where the parts are shown separated from each other),
• low-explosive chemical reactions such as rockets and fireworks,¹ and
• uncontrolled nuclear reactions, such as atomic bombs² and the Chernobyl accident.

Also, explode is used in figurative ways (a sudden increase, or an eruption of rage) where detonate cannot be substituted.

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¹ Note that "detonate" can be used non-technically for low-explosive munitions.

² Atomic bombs also contain high explosive, and that is detonated to begin the nuclear fission (so we can use "detonate" for the bomb as a whole).

Answer 7

These are the main/relevant definitions from the Cambridge Dictionary:

detonate: [UK] (cause something to) explode [US] to explode, or to cause a bomb to explode

explode: to break up into pieces violently, or to cause something to do this

Both Cambridge Dictionary and Merriam-Webster identify a transitive use (to make something explode) and an intransitive use (to explode). Both dictionaries offer several other usages of explode, but no other usages for detonate. As other answers state, there are specific technical meanings for each word, but these are outside the scope of an answer to this question.

In UK English, detonate is quite a formal word: it's not something you would use in casual conversation.

We can check on actual usages using an NGram graph of "detonated/exploded on" (intransitive, to explode) and "exploded/detonated the" (transitive, to cause to explode). As you can see, exploded is more widely used in both cases, but the difference is small for the transitive use and considerable to the intransitive use: this suggests that explode is generally preferred for the intransitive use. The same applies in both UK and US English. Note that NGram graphs relate to written English, which is generally more formal: I would expect fewer occurrences of "detonate" in spoken English.

It is clear that the two words have the same meanings but are not interchangeable. I would recommend using "explode" for both meanings in spoken English. In written English, "explode" is still preferable, but the transitive meaning of "detonate" can be also be used. For technical writing, I recommend further research before using either word.

Answer 8

Detonation is the act of initiating, or starting, an explosion.

If all goes well (or badly) an explosion is the result. However, it is also possible for the explosive matter to fizzle out, with a much smaller bang than expected, even if the detonator worked perfectly.

One example is an engine running on the wrong (too high octane) fuel. The engine can "detonate" also called knocking or pinking,where the fuel ignites with a shock wave (at the speed of sound), rather than a gentle flame started by the spark. That only affects the fuel/air mixture in the cylinder, so while the shock increases wear and eventually damage in the engine, the engine doesn't generally explode.

Answer 9

If the words explode or detonate are used colloquially, they can be synonymous.

However, a detonation in technical circles has to do with the speed at which the explosive shock wave moves. This is better explained on the Wikipedia page for detonation.

And while this is for "English" language learners, I would also like to point out that the American Heritage dictionary notes the origin of the word 'detonate' meaning to thunder.

And if you think about, thunder is part of lightning, the other part is the flash. (Sound, the thunder, being slower than light, the flash.)

The Oxford and Merriam Webster dictionaries, for some reason, do not show this distinction.

So teaching learners the different contexts, colloquial or technical, is still absolutely valid. Which is why I believe Michael Harvey's answer is correct.

Answer 10

Absolutely synonymous and either may be used freely to express identical meaning.