implode

[im-plohd]

verb (used without object)

imploded, imploding 

1. to burst inward (explode ).

verb (used with object)

imploded, imploding 

1. Phonetics.,  to pronounce by implosion.

implode

/ ɪmˈpləʊd /

verb

1. to collapse or cause to collapse inwards in a violent manner as a result of external pressure

   the vacuum flask imploded

2. (tr) to pronounce (a consonant) with or by implosion

Word History and Origins

Origin of implode¹

First recorded in 1880–85; im- ¹ + (ex)plode

Word History and Origins

Origin of implode¹

C19: from _im- + ( _ex ) _plode

Example Sentences

The following year, the band imploded when Noel walked out on Aug. 28, following a backstage fight with Liam at a music festival just outside Paris, departing just before their scheduled headlining slot.

From Los Angeles Times

Her clandestine involvement with her father’s close friend and literary agent, whose wife is dying of cancer, implodes, leaving her a bitter “other woman” living her own soap opera.

From Los Angeles Times

The sub imploded 90 minutes into the dive after its carbon-fibre hull suffered a catastrophic loss of structural integrity, the investigation found.

From BBC

The pair, whose friendship imploded in the aftermath as the public revulsion became clear to them, drove to the site under the cover of darkness in the early hours of 28 September 2023.

From BBC

Many a glamorous startup imploded after the tech boom went bust, shortly after “Office Space” was released, in 2001 and 2002.

From Salon

Related Words

• cave in 
• fall down