dynamite
See also: dynamité
English
Etymology
Coined by Alfred Nobel in 1867. Ultimately from Ancient Greek δύναμις (dúnamis, “power”) + -ite, most likely under the influence of dynamo or dynamic.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdaɪ.nəˌmaɪt/
- (obsolete) IPA(key): /ˈdɪ.nəˌmaɪt/[1]
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun
dynamite (usually uncountable, plural dynamites)
- A class of explosives made from nitroglycerine in an absorbent medium such as kieselguhr, used in mining and blasting.
- (informal, proscribed) A stick of trinitrotoluene (TNT).
- (figuratively, slang, uncountable) Anything exceptionally dangerous, exciting or wonderful.
- 2005, Alex Turner (lyrics and music), “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor”, performed by Arctic Monkeys:
- And your shoulders are frozen (Cold as the night) / Oh, but you're an explosion (You're dynamite)
- 2016, Kit Moulton, Annabella (page 108)
- That girl was dynamite. Dark hair with killer blue eyes, bronze skin, and an exquisite full-figured body.
- He warned us: "That issue about what's been happening at that factory, is political dynamite. Keep the lid on it."
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- (slang) A strong drug, in particular heroin, cocaine or potent marijuana.
Synonyms
- nitro
Derived terms
- boom goes the dynamite
- dynamite charge
- dynamite roll
Translations
class of explosives
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stick of trinitrotoluene
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figuratively
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Verb
dynamite (third-person singular simple present dynamites, present participle dynamiting, simple past and past participle dynamited)
- To blow up with dynamite or other high explosive.
- 1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 101:
- [...] on Sunday, August 23, the L.N.W.R. tunnel was closed to enable the old brickwork to be dynamited away, traffic being diverted meanwhile through the M.R. tunnel.
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- (figuratively) To dismantle or destroy.
- 2021, Harry Litman, Column: Mississippi’s abortion brief dynamites standing law and ‘super duper’ precedents, in: The Los Angeles Times, July 29 2021
- Even the successful battle in the last century to overturn the court’s infamous Plessy vs. Ferguson “separate but equal” doctrine wasn’t a frontal assault that dynamited precedent.
- 2021, Harry Litman, Column: Mississippi’s abortion brief dynamites standing law and ‘super duper’ precedents, in: The Los Angeles Times, July 29 2021
- (transitive, of brakes) To apply maximum pressure to very quickly.
- 2009, Claude M. Pearson, Portia Rising, page 50:
- Juan dynamited the brakes and the car skidded to a halt.
- 2014, Mike Davis, Hunting Men: The Career of an Oregon State Police Detective, page 6:
- The 1977 Pontiacs had a tendency of dying if you were at high speed and dynamited the brakes.
- 2018, Laird Barron, Blood Standard:
- At the critical moment I'd learned from countless action flicks I dynamited the brakes and felt the impact of the sedan against my rear bumper.
- dynamite the brakes
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- (intransitive, of brakes) To lock up from being invoked too suddenly.
- the brakes will dynamite
Derived terms
- dynamiter
Translations
to blow up with dynamite or other high explosive
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See also
- cordite
References
- Hall, Joseph Sargent (March 2, 1942), “2. The Vowel Sounds of Unstressed and Partially Stressed Syllables”, in The Phonetics of Great Smoky Mountain Speech (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 4), New York: King's Crown Press, DOI:, →ISBN, § II.1, page 60.
Further reading
- Jonathon Green (2023), “dynamite n.2”, in Green's Dictionary of Slang
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /di.na.mit/
Audio (file) - Homophones: dynamitent, dynamites
Verb
dynamite
- inflection of dynamiter:
- first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
- second-person singular imperative