Did you know?
Theatergoers in ancient Rome could be noisy in showing both their enjoyment and their dislike of a performance. One of the ways they made noise was by clapping their hands loudly. The Latin verb plaudere meant “to make a noise by loud clapping.” When Romans were showing their approval of a performance, the word used was applaudere, from which we get our English word applaud. When Romans did not like a performance, they often drove the performer from the stage by loud claps. The word for this was explodere or explaudere, from the prefix ex-, meaning “out, away,” and plaudere. From this word we get our English word explode. At first, explode meant “to drive from the stage by a noisy expression of dislike,” but this sense has all but disappeared.
Examples of explode in a Sentence
Abbas Al Lawati, CNN, 28 Sep. 2024
Saturday Night, which sees fake blood explode everywhere in one moment and the set catch fire in another during the frenetic lead-up to the show, is an exhilarating journey through the challenges of getting the show off the ground.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 27 Sep. 2024
OpenAI’s services have exploded in popularity since the company launched ChatGPT in late 2022.
—Hayden Field, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2024
In addition to the toxic nature of the chemical, there were concerns the railcar might explode as the temperature inside was rising.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for explode 
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.
Articles Related to explode
Dictionary Entries Near explode
Cite this Entry
“Explode.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explode. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
explode
verb
from Latin explaudere "to drive off the stage by clapping," from ex- "out, away" and plaudere "to clap" — related to applaud, plaudit, plausible see Word History at plausible
Medical Definition
explode
verb
Share