2
general::
verb blow up VERB + EXPLODE be liable to The chemical is liable to explode on contact with water. | fail to A blast bomb was thrown but the device failed to explode. get angry/dangerous/moving ADV. literally | suddenly VERB + EXPLODE be about to, be ready to, be set to A row over public spending is set to explode. | be liable to, be likely to | seem to PREP. into He suddenly exploded into action. | with She literally exploded with anger.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
to explode
explode
verb [ intransitive ] if a bomb explodes, it bursts suddenly and violently with a loud noise:
• A bomb exploded in a crowded metro station this morning, killing five people.
go off
phrasal verb if a bomb goes off, it explodes. Go off is less formal than explode and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
• Luckily the station was empty when the bomb went off. • As many as ten bombs went off across the city, most of them car bombs.
blow up
phrasal verb if a building, car, plane etc blows up, it bursts suddenly and violently into pieces, causing a lot of damage:
• The plane blew up in mid-air, killing all the passengers and crew. • In early 1986, a US space shuttle blew up shortly after launch.
erupt
verb [ intransitive ] if a volcano erupts, it explodes and sends smoke and rock into the sky:
• The volcano has erupted at least fifteen times since 1883.
burst
verb [ intransitive ] if something that has air or liquid inside it bursts, it explodes and the air or liquid comes out:
• One of the water pipes had burst. • The plane caught fire after its tyre burst on landing.
to make something explode
explode
verb [ transitive ] to make a bomb burst suddenly and violently with a loud noise:
• The terrorists planned to explode a car bomb outside the US embassy.
set off
phrasal verb to make a bomb explode, either deliberately or accidentally. Set off is less formal than explode and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
• The group set off a bomb outside a crowded cafe in Izmir last September. • Police say radio signals were probably used to set the bomb off.
detonate
verb [ transitive ] to make a bomb explode, especially by using special equipment. Detonate is a more technical word than set off:
• Army experts detonated the bomb safely in a nearby field. • The 200 kg bomb was detonated by terrorists using a remote-control device.
let off
phrasal verb British English to deliberately make a bomb explode:
• Terrorists let off a bomb in the city centre. • The bomb was let off shortly before 3 pm.
blow up
phrasal verb to make a building, car, plane etc explode:
• He was involved in a plot to blow up a passenger jet. • He struck a match and blew the whole place up.
Longman-Thesaurus