What is "plosive" in English? Definition and Explanations

Updated: 15-10-2026 by Wikilanguages.net

What does plosive mean in English? Meaning of plosive definition and abbreviation with examples.

English	English

Meaning of "plosive": a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it

Meaning: a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it

Example: his stop consonants are too aspirated

Synonyms: occlusive plosive plosive consonant plosive speech sound stop stop consonant

Hyponyms: click glottal catch glottal plosive glottal stop labial stop suction stop

Hypernyms: obstruent

Part Holonyms: explosion implosion plosion

Antonyms: continuant continuant consonant

Pronunciation in US: /ˈploʊsɪv/, /ˈploʊzɪv/

Pronunciation in UK: /ˈpləʊsɪv/, /ˈpləʊzɪv/

Adjective: (phonetics) Sound produced from opening a previously closed oral passage; for example, when pronouncing the sound /p/ in "pug".

English speaking countries and territories