The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - explosion n.

1) blast, bang, report, burst, boom, clap, crack, eruption, crash, outburst, fulmination; detonation: The explosion shook the entire house. 2) outburst, outbreak, paroxysm, upheaval, flare-up, eruption, burst, fit, spasm, tantrum, Colloq Brit paddy or paddywhack or paddywack, wax: The unrest among the people is building up to an explosion. 3) increase, burgeoning or bourgeoning, expansion, welling up, mushrooming: The population explosion has caused a housing shortage.