Collocations for explosion - noun

almighty (esp. BrE), big, deafening, enormous, great, huge, large, loud, major, massive, powerful, tremendous, violent
minor, small
muffled
There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right.

distant
The floor shook with a distant explosion.

controlled
test
a nuclear test explosion

accidental
bomb, chemical, gas, mine, volcanic
atomic, nuclear
terrorist
social (figurative)
If no action is taken, the country runs the risk of a social explosion.

cause, create, set off, trigger
The build-up of gas caused a small explosion.

carry out (esp. BrE)
Bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on the suspect package.

hear
prevent
survive

come, happen, occur, take place
The explosion came 20 minutes after a coded warning to the police.
The explosion occurred just after noon.

erupt, go off
A massive explosion erupted behind him.

rock sth, shake sth
A huge explosion rocked the entire building.
The explosion shook nearby homes.

blow sth out, destroy sth, rip through sth
An explosion blew out the front windows.
A massive explosion ripped through the chemical works.

injure sb, kill sb
cause sth
The explosion caused major structural damage.

echo, sound
A loud explosion echoed around the valley.

in an/the explosion
Three people were injured in the explosion.

sudden
great
a great explosion of creativity

veritable
In the 1860s a veritable explosion of major scientific publications took place.

population
information
How can we keep up with the information explosion?

price, wage (BrE)

see, witness
I believe we will see an explosion in lawsuits of this kind.

occur, take place

explosion in
a sudden explosion in the number of students

explosion of
an explosion of interest in learning Japanese