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dynamite

 [dahy-nuh-mahyt]   Example Sentences Origin

dy·na·mite

   [dahy-nuh-mahyt] noun, verb, -mit·ed, -mit·ing, adjective
noun
1.
a high explosive, originally consisting of nitroglycerin mixed with an absorbent substance, now with ammonium nitrate usually replacing the nitroglycerin.
2.
any person or thing having a spectacular effect.
verb (used with object)
3.
to blow up, shatter, or destroy with dynamite: Saboteurs dynamited the dam.
4.
to mine or charge with dynamite.

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Dynamite is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to run away hurriedly; flee.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
adjective
5.
Informal. creating a spectacular or optimum effect; great; topnotch: a dynamite idea; a dynamite crew.
Origin:
1867; < Swedish dynamit, introduced by A. B. Nobel, its inventor; see dyna(m)-, -ite1

Related forms
dy·na·mit·er, noun
dy·na·mit·ic  [dahy-nuh-mit-ik] , adjective
dy·na·mit·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·dy·na·mit·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To dynamite
Example Sentences
  • They blew open the express car with dynamite and fired several shots at the trainmen, who attempted to escape.
  • They plead for the means to go deeper but they cannot afford the dynamite or machinery.
  • The mountain rock is soft enough for the drill to do its work without dynamite.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
dynamite (ˈdaɪnəˌmaɪt)
 
—n
1.  an explosive consisting of nitroglycerine or ammonium nitrate mixed with kieselguhr, sawdust, or wood pulp
2.  informal a spectacular or potentially dangerous person or thing
 
—vb
3.  (tr) to mine or blow up with dynamite
 
[C19 (coined by Alfred Nobel): from dynamo- + -ite1]
 
'dynamiter
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

dynamite
1867, from Sw. dynamit, coined 1867 by its inventor, Sw. chemist Alfred Nobel (1833-96), from Gk. dynamis "power." Fig. sense of "something potentially dangerous" is from 1922.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
dynamite   (dī'nə-mīt')  Pronunciation Key 
A powerful explosive used in blasting and mining. It typically consists of nitroglycerin and a nitrate (especially sodium nitrate or ammonium nitrate), combined with an absorbent material that makes it safer to handle.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary

dynamite definition


  1. n.
    anything potentially powerful: a drug, news, a person. : The story about the scandal was dynamite and kept selling papers for a month.
  2. mod.
    excellent; powerful. : I want some more of your dynamite enchiladas, please.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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