blowup 1 of 2

blow up

2 of 2

verb

1
2
as in to detonate
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure the building blew up because of a gas leak

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in to smash
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive blew up the biggest rocks and then cleared them away

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blowup
Noun
This trenching, which began after the blowups, is evident in Planet Labs images analyzed by 38North, with piles of dirt and heavy machinery marking unfinished work. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024 Consider, first, the distinction between past responses to financial blowups and today’s magic money. Raphaële Chappe, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020
Verb
Then, Gillis’ phone blows up revealing that the party is actually in the backyard. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Jan. 2025 On one voyage, a boiler blew up killing a crew member. Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for blowup 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowup
Noun
  • In one scene in a van’s front seat, Ally and Jay bond over how their parental role models ruined their love lives.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2025
  • Jones also said a firearm was recovered from the scene.
    Elizabeth Pritchett, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Most associate Vesuvius with the 79 CE eruption that encased Pompeii in ash, preserving it for eternity.
    Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 28 Jan. 2025
  • Rubin sheds light on dark energy Type Ia supernovas have been intrinsic to the concept of dark energy since 1998 when two separate teams of researchers used these white dwarf eruptions to determine that the universe was expanding at an accelerating rate.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The statement angered Washington officials, who told reporters that Ukraine was downplaying deliveries to get more support from European countries.
    Erin Banco, Anastasiia Malenko, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
  • President Trump’s controversial pick for director of national intelligence angered Republicans by refusing to condemn government leaker Edward Snowden as well as her unorthodox foreign policy views on Russia and Syria, among other concerns.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The North Korean soldier seen detonating the grenade in the video carried a fake Russian military ID which identified him as 29-year-old Ment Chat.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
  • During separate trials for Young and Phillips in 2010 and 2014, respectively, prosecutors laid out their theory of the murder plot: Young constructed and detonated a pipe bomb in exchange for money that Phillips received from Triano’s life insurance policy.
    Matt Allen, ABC News, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Maye can be the face of the offense, while Carter smashes into opposing QBs on the other side of the ball.
    Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2025
  • The front door of a Batavia liquor store was smashed and a number of items stolen early Tuesday morning, Batavia police said.
    Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Upset that his owner stopped giving him undivided attention, one dog found a solution that left viewers cracking up.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The Blakes are a humble family and the idea of her dad blowing past security to storm the court had Mikayla cracking up.
    Grace Raynor, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Volunteers were charged around 25 cents per huff, bringing in good profit for those who’d invested in the necessary gas tanks, tubes, and breathing bags.
    Oshan Jarow, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
  • The huffs and hums, produced by two women standing face-to-face and vocalizing from their throats, is believed to be one of the oldest music forms in the world.
    Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2024
Noun
  • Finally, in 1910, came a fabled explosion that has been dramatized in several Gustav-and-Alma movies.
    Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
  • One witness in Havre de Grace, Maryland, recorded video of the eerie glow, showing the fireball resembled a silent explosion that lit the early morning as most people slept.
    Mark Price, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near blowup

Cite this Entry

“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowup. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.

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