nuclear explosion
8
4.1
- noun
- /ˈnjuːklɪər ɪkˈspləʊʒən/
:
explosión nuclear
- On August 6, 1945, a nuclear explosion devastated Hiroshima, demonstrating the bomb's catastrophic power.
- underground nuclear explosion
- underwater nuclear explosion
- peaceful nuclear explosion
Nuclear fallout is the contaminated soot, ash, dust, and earth after a nuclear explosion.
- Nuclear fallout is the contaminated soot, ash, dust, and earth after a nuclear explosion.
- There's nothing more terrifying and somehow inspiring than watching the mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion.
- And then the more stupid software bugs can lead to huge damage, Like, you know, even like nuclear explosions, those kinds of things.
- Lasers planted, nuclear explosions, something to make sure that if something is ever on a collision course for earth that we can stop it.
Examples
-
The ozone layer was disturbed by the nuclear explosions, and that let in more UV.
Fiction book (1990) -
Figure 2 shows a very large plume produced by the rising gases of a nuclear explosion.
Academic text (2001) -
And all the nuclear explosions that have ever taken place on Earth have contributed to this.
-
There's been a nuclear explosion in America.
-
Suddenly, with a brilliant flash of white light, a nuclear explosion mushrooms into the sky.
Fiction book (1998) -
New Delhi first demonstrated its nuclear weapon capability with its 1974 "peaceful nuclear explosion."
Academic text (2000) -
♪ Trinity Site, the location of the first nuclear explosion, is not far from here.
-
"There's been a nuclear explosion thirty miles off the coast of Delaware.
Fiction book (1999) -
- There's growing evidence overnight from scientists and observers in many countries that there have been two nuclear explosions in the Middle East.
-
Los Alamos physicists built satellite-borne detectors to record nuclear explosions in the Soviet Union.
Academic text (2000)
Synonyms
∞
2.8
A sudden violent burst that makes a loud noise and causes damage
297
3.0
A sudden strong explosion that breaks things
85
6.7
A sudden violent explosion from a chemical or nuclear reaction
9
2.5
A sudden explosion from a bomb
3
4.2
A huge blast from an atomic bomb that destroys a wide area
1
6.0
A sudden violent explosion that destroys things nearby
A very sudden powerful blast that breaks things and makes loud noise
How Powerful
- Specialized
1
6.9
8
4.1
∞
2.8
37
3.3
62
2.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'nuclear' specifies the cause/type and 'explosion' denotes a sudden violent burst, so together they clearly mean an explosion caused by nuclear/atomic energy. This modifier+head noun pattern is standard and cross‑linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The term nuclear explosion comes from the idea that the huge power comes from the tiny center of an atom, the 'nucleus'. When that center is split or joined it sends out a sudden, very strong burst of energy, so nuclear (from the atom's center) plus explosion means 'a very powerful blast caused by energy from the atom's center'.