past / past participle
Burst suddenly and violently, often because of pressure, heat, or a chemical reaction.
The balloon exploded during the party.
The gas tank exploded after the crash.
American English
How to pronounce exploded
verbB1Common word
ihksPLOHdihd
/ɪksˈpʰloʊ.ɾɪd̚/
3 syllables · Stress the second syllable.
Form of explode
Exploded is used for both the past and past participle of explode.
Burst suddenly and violently, often because of pressure, heat, or a chemical reaction.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
past / past participle
Became much larger or more intense very quickly.
The city's population exploded in ten years.
Online sales exploded after the holiday campaign.
past / past participle
Suddenly became very angry and showed that anger by shouting or acting strongly.
She exploded when she read the email.
Mark exploded at his brother over the broken phone.
past / past participle
Showed that an idea, belief, or story was false.
The report exploded the myth that vaccines are dangerous.
The evidence exploded his claim that he was innocent.
Useful expressions
to suddenly start burning strongly
The truck exploded into flames.
to suddenly become extremely angry
He exploded with anger at the news.
to prove that a popular belief is false
The study exploded a common myth.
Related words & forms
Drop the final e before -ing: exploding, not explodeing.