A sudden and violent bursting that makes a loud noise, often causing damage. It can also describe a very fast increase in something or a sudden strong show of emotion.
From Latin *explosio* ‘driving out by clapping’, from *explodere* ‘to drive out with noise’. The meaning shifted from noisy rejection to any violent, noisy bursting.
We now use ‘explosion’ for quiet things too, like an ‘explosion of ideas’ or ‘population explosion.’ The word keeps its sense of suddenness and intensity, even when there’s no actual bang.
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