To explode means for something to suddenly and forcefully break apart or release energy.
When you hear the word "explode", it usually refers to something making a loud noise and causing damage. Imagine being in a movie where a bomb goes off - that's what people might mean when they say something is exploding. But the word isn't just for bombs - if a balloon pops, a tire bursts, or a firework lights up the sky, it can also explode. You might even use this word to describe your emotions: "I felt like I was going to explode with happiness!" In all these cases, the idea is that something has reached its limit and suddenly changed in a big way.
How common is "explode"?
Word explode is considered uncommon in modern English. It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
Definitions
verb
(transitive) To destroy with an explosion.
Example: The assassin exploded the car by means of a car bomb.
(transitive) To destroy violently or abruptly.
Example: They sought to explode the myth.
(transitive) To create an exploded view of.
Example: Explode the assembly drawing so that all the fasteners are visible.
(transitive, archaic) To disprove or debunk.
Example: Astrology is required by many famous physicians […] doubted of, and exploded by others.
(intransitive) To fly apart with sudden violent force; to blow up, to burst, to detonate, to go off.
Example: The bomb explodes.
(intransitive, figuratively) To make a violent or emotional outburst; to suddenly give expression to powerful and often negative or unpleasant emotion, especially anger.
Example: She exploded when I criticised her hat.
(intransitive, figuratively) To increase suddenly.
(mathematics) To increase arbitrarily or boundlessly.
Example: The function f(x) = 1/x explodes around x = 0.
(intransitive, figuratively) To emerge suddenly.
Example: to explode into the mainstream; to explode onto the scene
(slang, vulgar) To ejaculate.
(computing, programming, PHP) To break (a delimited string of text) into several smaller strings by removing the separators.
(transitive, computing) To decompress (data) that was previously imploded.
(transitive) To open all doors and hatches on an automobile.
(intransitive, board gaming) Of a die, to produce the highest face result and consequently reroll.
