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
The blowup led to speculation that Vance had deliberately set up Zelenskyy for public ridicule. Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025 There were crash outs, blowups, fights over pancakes and some messy breakups. Christopher Kuhagen, jsonline.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Verb
To be thrown into, now, this separation and exploding, blowing up her family this way. Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025 Less than five years later, 17 inmates used explosives to blow up a wing of the building, killing one person and allowing others to escape. Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for blowup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowup
Noun
  • Go further by Set the scene with warm lighting, textured serving trays, and small plates of complementary bites for that boutique cafe feel.
    Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The holiday decor scene is saturated—nutcrackers, gingerbread houses, bow garlands, wreaths, strings of snowflakes, glittery pinecones, and that nativity scene that’s been passed down for generations.
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Sulfuric aerosols trapped in ice cores suggest that a truly massive volcanic eruption took place in 1809, followed by a succession of smaller eruptions that culminated in the staggering explosion of Mount Tambora in 1815.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
  • While tectonic activity is the leading cause, earthquakes can also result from volcanic eruptions, underground explosions, and human activities like mining or large-scale construction.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The land was acquired by the company through the village in 2018 in a move that angered a lot residents but in 2023 the Foxconn project failed to live up to its original expectation.
    Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Others are angered that the visa requires only an undergraduate STEM degree, saying that is setting the bar too low at a time when young people in China feel pressured to rack up advanced degrees in order to compete with their peers in the job market.
    Peter Guo, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • An artillery shell fired as part of the Marine Corps’ 250-year anniversary celebrations prematurely detonated over Interstate 5 in California Saturday, striking a patrol vehicle with shrapnel, according to the California Highway Patrol.
    Susannah Cullinane, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Two months later, on February 26, 1993, al-Qaeda detonated a truck bomb beneath the World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than a thousand.
    Big Think, Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The solar wind smashes into the leading edge of Earth’s magnetosphere with supersonic speed, creating a shockwave that can come closer than one hundred thousand kilometers to the planet’s illuminated side.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
  • From there, two of the thieves slinked up the ladder to smash a window that leads to the Galerie d’Apollon on the museum’s second floor.
    Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The two of us crack up, that this is where Jesus Land has taken her, having this conversation with someone so near her kids’ age.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Viewer Reactions The TikTok video left viewers cracking up, and as of Tuesday, the clip had amassed over 526,000 views and 48,600 views.
    Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Lloyd evaded a diving Mahomes, Kareem Hunt and a streaking Tyquan Thornton for a huff-and-puff 99-yard interception return for a touchdown.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Kemp looked at the ceiling and blew a huff of air when Schwartz announced the sentence.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • For the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century, magnetic storms, triggered by colossal solar explosions, repeatedly disrupted those networks.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Growing attraction Though specialized e-bike shops have been in operation for more than a decade, their recent explosion in business can be attributed to changes in offerings and price.
    Ashley Mackin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowup. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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