IMPLOSION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does implosion mean? 

• IMPLOSION (noun)
  The noun IMPLOSION has 2 senses:

1. a sudden inward collapse

2. the initial occluded phase of a stop consonant

  Familiarity information: IMPLOSION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• IMPLOSION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A sudden inward collapse

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

the implosion of a light bulb

Hypernyms ("implosion" is a kind of...):

collapse (a natural event caused by something suddenly falling down or caving in)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "implosion"):

gravitational collapse (the implosion of a star resulting from its own gravity; the result is a smaller and denser celestial object)

Derivation:

implode (burst inward)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The initial occluded phase of a stop consonant

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("implosion" is a kind of...):

blockage; closure; occlusion (the act of blocking)

Holonyms ("implosion" is a part of...):

occlusive; plosive; plosive consonant; plosive speech sound; stop; stop consonant (a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it)

Derivation:

implode (burst inward)

 Context examples 

The miniaturizing technology, called implosion fabrication, could be applied to anything from developing smaller microscope and cell phone lenses to creating tiny robots that improve everyday life.

(Researchers Use Laser to Shrink Objects to Nanoscale, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)