1
as in scene
an outburst or display of excited anger
the boss had another blowup when someone fouled up the copy machine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to anger
to become very angry
she blew up at everybody after a very long and very bad day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in to crack up
to praise or publicize lavishly and often excessively
the advertisement blows the new soda up to the point where I half expected to be transported to a higher level of consciousness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blowup
Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026
Having an enormous blowup has never kept Taylor and Dakota from hooking up before.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026
One of those blew up on its landing attempt while another was purposefully expended to get its payload to a higher orbital insertion.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for blowup
Noun
Not with an argument or a blowup.
—Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026
Having an enormous blowup has never kept Taylor and Dakota from hooking up before.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
The event features food trucks, blow up games, T-shirts and a chance to win tickets to a game.
—The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026
One of those blew up on its landing attempt while another was purposefully expended to get its payload to a higher orbital insertion.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for blowup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowup
Noun
-
Cynthia wants to get down to the bottom of Shamea’s erratic behavior, and the scene plays out like an angsty teen getting sent to the principal’s office.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
-
Brianna, 29, and Kierianna, 26, fled the scene after the attack but were eventually arrested by police.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
But the eruption disrupted their economy and weakened their influence.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
-
The study examined a single eruption, and researchers do not yet know whether the same signatures appear consistently before other events.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
But Schnur said the governor likely also has concerns about angering one of his biggest backers.—
Katie King,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
Meanwhile, Daemon, angered that his wife/niece is mad at him for orchestrating the brutal murder of a child, goes to the cursed castle of Harrenhal to claim it for their side — or perhaps to claim it for himself.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
The military retaliation followed an April 26 terror attack, when an explosive device detonated on a passenger bus traveling along the Pan-American Highway in the volatile Cauca region.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
-
Proper told investigators that a group planned to stage a demonstration outside the White House, fly small drones laden with explosives to detonate outside the arena to force the crowd to evacuate, and act as snipers to shoot people fleeing the event.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The suspect also allegedly attacked a car at a gas station, which was found with its windows smashed out and an axe inside, and he was seen pushing down shelves inside the station’s market, BBC News reported.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
-
The tension in these tracks are the binding agent for Jane’s fan base — the music is full of contradictions and incompatibilities smashing together that just feel like being young right now.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Paige, known for his tall tales, would crack up other members of the organization.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
7 June 2026
-
Mark Toothaker, a stallion sales manager for Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, was on the couch cracking up with his wife, Malory, about the whiffed field goal and consequential turnover.—
Kelly O'Grady,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Rhodes celebrated with the crowd at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, while Gunther walked back up the entrance ramp in a huff.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
-
David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Moscow’s mayor said air defenses shot down nearly 200 drones, as videos circulating on social media showed explosions and smoke billowing across the Russian capital.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
-
The fire reached an ammonia line, triggering several small explosions and a dramatic image of flames shooting through the building roof as crews evacuated the area to avoid the fumes.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowup. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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