Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

implosion

 - 4 dictionary results

im⋅plo⋅sion

  [im-ploh-zhuhn]
Use implosion in a Sentence
–noun
1. the act of imploding; a bursting inward (opposed to explosion ).
2. Phonetics.
a. the occlusive phase of stop consonants.
b. (of a stop consonant) the nasal release heard in the common pronunciation of eaten, sudden, or mitten, in which the vowel of the final syllable is greatly reduced.
c. the ingressive release of a suction stop. Compare plosion.
Origin:
1875–80; im- 1 + (ex)plosion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To implosion
im·plo·sion   (ĭm-plō'zhən)   
n.  

  1. A violent collapse inward, as of a highly evacuated glass vessel.

  2. Violent compression.

  3. The inward collapse of a building that is being demolished in a controlled fashion by the weakening and breaking of structural members by explosives.

  4. Linguistics The pronunciation of a stop consonant with the breath drawn in.


[in-2 + (ex)plosion.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

implosion 
"a bursting inward," 1877, modeled on explosion (q.v.). Originally in ref. to effect of deep sea pressures. Fig. sense is from 1960. Verb implode is from 1881.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

implosion im·plo·sion (ĭm-plō'zhən)
n.

  1. A type of behavior therapy in which the patient is repeatedly subjected to anxiety-arousing stimuli while the therapist attempts to extinguish the patient's anxiety and anxious behavior and replace them with more appropriate responses.

  2. A bursting inward rather than outward.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see implosion on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way