Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use explosive in a sentence

40 example sentences · adjective, noun

Explosive means able to, or likely to, explode. Example: “He has an explosive personality.”

Examples of explosive by meaning

adjectiveAble to, or likely to, explode.

  • an explosive device

adjectiveHaving the character of an explosion.

  • an explosive fire

adjectiveOf a specific cellular automaton rule, tending to exhibit infinite and unpredictable growth when starting from finite...

  • Notes: A rule set that (very probably) results in explosive growth; certainly in area if not population.1992 June 2, Dave Boll, “Variations on Conway's LIFE”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)
  • If the rule is further chosen so that active cells can (and must) expand on an inactive background but inactive cells can't do so on an active background (or vice versa), then non-explosive growth becomes possible.2003 May 12, Ilmari Karonen, “Gliders in 4-neighbor semitotalistic 2D cellular automata”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)

adjectiveShocking; startling.

  • an explosive accusation

adjectiveEasily driven to anger, usually with reference to a person.

  • He has an explosive personality.

adjectiveSynonym of plosive.

  • the explosive consonants

nounA plosive.

  • The open a sound was predominant, and the explosives k and g.1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC

More sentences with explosive

  • The assassin liked to make a clean kill, and thus favored small arms over explosives.From the entry kill
  • The idea that the Bible should be translated into vernaculars was explosive in medieval society.From the entry vernacular
  • Spark arrestors play a critical role in the prevention of wildland fire and ignition of explosive atmospheres.From the entry spark arrestor
  • You cannot be too careful where explosives are involved.From the entry where
  • That missile is explosive enough to kill hundreds.From the entry missile
  • Nitro compounds tend to be unstable and often explosive.From the entry nitro
  • Each had amazing hype cycles but none as explosive as Ozempic.2023 October 9, Tressie McMillan Cottom, “Ozempic Can’t Fix What Our Culture Has Broken”, in The New York Times, →ISSN. From the entry fen-phen
  • SS Mont Blanc, a French vessel loaded with 2.9 kilotons of explosives, collided with the Imo.2022 August 24, Bruce Healey, “Wartime tunnel crash: a miraculous escape”, in RAIL, number 964, page 53. From the entry devastate
  • The soft and bony tissues underlying the borders were markedly damaged by presumed explosive injuries.2016 March, Amanda M McLemore et al., “Suicide by Bomb, with Decapitation”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name). From the entry rare
  • Next up, we have the most explosive compound ever produced, the extremely fun to say azidoazide azide.2016 January 20, Bec Crew, “WATCH: 5 of The World's Most Dangerous Chemicals”, in Science Alert. From the entry azidoazide azide
  • But the most explosive absence is that of the great Isiburuekperi.2016, Chris Dahi, Bonded. From the entry unattendance
  • It was later found that the suspect device was a hoax and not a viable explosive.2014 August 3, Louise Kelly, Conor Feehan, “Suspect device found at shopping centre revealed as hoax”, in Irish Independent. From the entry device
  • I pull the pin and lob the explosive side-handed into the room.2014, Rob Volver, Guns 'n Money, →ISBN. From the entry side-handed
  • Due to the improvised explosive device (IED) and sniper threat, these vehicles' weapons stations are heavily armored.2011, Gordon Rottman, Browning .50-caliber Machine Guns, page 69. From the entry stryker
  • Examples would include arson accelerants, bank robbery explosive dye packs, and lacrymators (tear gas).2011, William Jerry Chisum, Brent E. Turvey, Crime Reconstruction, →ISBN, page 262. From the entry lacrymator
  • A flash bang contains no explosive, and the container is not designed to fragment.2003, Dennis Krebs, When Violence Erupts: A Survival Guide for Emergency Responders, page 153. From the entry flash bang
  • Some of the specialized weapons may be antirunway munitions or fuel-air explosives.1991, Airpower Journal 1911, page 45. From the entry antirunway
  • Mistpouffers are dull, distant explosive sounds heard around the coast of Europe all the way to Iceland.1977, William R. Corliss, Handbook of unusual natural phenomena, page 369. From the entry mistpouffer
  • Special mechanical or explosive devices, artillery or aerial bombardment, or specially trained teams accomplish this.1969, Engineer Field Data, pages 3–17. From the entry hasty breaching
  • Two charges should be used: a cratering charge, and a small charge of a brisant explosive.1962, NAVWEPS OP [Ordnance Pamphlet] 2212: Demolition Materials, Bureau of Naval Weapons, pages 6–12. From the entry brisant
  • From the core of the trunk come explosive cracks sounding like rifle-fire.1961, Robert S. Close, With Hooves of Brass, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 34. From the entry timber
  • As he spoke, soldiers scrawled messages of retribution on the wings of a dozen drones, each packed with thermobaric explosives.2026 June 10, Marc Santora, “A Twist in Ukraine’s Drone Campaign Is ‘Really Hurting the Russians’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN. From the entry thermobaric
  • Without providing evidence, Shoigu said Ukraine could escalate by using a “dirty bomb” – conventional explosives laced with radioactive material.2022 October 24, Peter Beaumont, “Ukraine war heading for ‘uncontrolled escalation’, says Russia”, in The Guardian. From the entry dirty bomb
  • For the rolling barrage, one battery in each battalion fired low, bursting shrapnel instead of the standard high explosive.2014, Edward G. Lengel, A Companion to the Meuse-Argonne Campaign, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 350. From the entry barrage
  • She might have to lie, might have to say the letter contained explosives, or some kind of poison.2013, Elizabeth Bass, The Way Back to Happiness. From the entry unmail
  • Barry, a retired New York Police Department Bomb Squad technician who analyzes how explosives are used in conflicts around the world.2012 January 4, Al Baker, “Small and Light, Starbucks Bottles as Tools for Gas Bombs”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York…. From the entry sided
  • These include man-haul, explosives, vent pipe, flat-, and concrete cars.2012, Thomas R. Kuesel, Elwyn H. King, John O. Bickel, Tunnel Engineering Handbook, page 236. From the entry man-haul
  • If the demolition is to use explosives, an exclusion zone must be established at a distance from and surrounding the structure.2007, Phil Hughes, Ed Ferrett, Introduction to Health and Safety in Construction, page 165. From the entry exclusion zone
  • He was always reading a book; quiet yet explosive.2007 November 26, Paul Ferrara, Flash of Eden, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 120. From the entry existential type
  • Explosive cooling and the sedimentation of glassy fragments results in a rock with a characteristic speckly texture known as hyaloclastite.2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 45. From the entry hyaloclastite
  • Terrell Owens' latest hand grenade was not only defused, it turned out not to be explosive at all.2002 October 16, David Steele, “The pen is mightier than 49ers, as long as it's in the end zone”, in SFGate. From the entry Sharpiegate
  • Military officials believe T-rays could pinpoint the chemical constituents of anti-personnel mines, and spot terrorists carrying explosives into airports.2000 July 1, Robin McKie, “T-rays take over from X-rays”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN…. From the entry T-ray

Meaning of explosive

  1. adjective Able to, or likely to, explode.
  2. adjective Having the character of an explosion.
  3. adjective Of a specific cellular automaton rule, tending to exhibit infinite and unpredictable growth when starting from finite random patterns.

Full definition of explosive

Questions about explosive in a sentence

How do you use explosive in a sentence?
Explosive is used as an adjective and noun. For example: “He has an explosive personality.”
What is a short sentence with explosive?
“an explosive accusation”
What does explosive mean?
Explosive means able to, or likely to, explode.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: explosive (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use explosive in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/explosive. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.