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
Context: The blowup of Synapse— whose end customers are still missing millions of dollars — put bank-fintech partnerships under intense scrutiny. Lucinda Shen, Axios, 27 Feb. 2025 Senator Tim Scott, the South Carolina Republican who will head the powerful Senate Banking Committee, welcomed Mr. Barr’s decision to step down, citing the blowup of Silicon Valley Bank and other regional firms in the spring of 2023 as well as the Basel III rules. Deborah B. Solomon, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
My brain blows up at the thought of that. Erin Hill, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025 Mines blew up some of the Russian vehicles. David Axe, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for blowup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowup
Noun
  • We’re really primed by this first scene to interpret the rest of the novel as being about interpretation on some level.
    Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Missing from the scene: the court’s three conservative leaning justices.
    Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 6 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The most recent eruption of this volcano was in 2005.
    Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Mars contains volcanic plains formed by past eruptions and inactive shield volcanoes that are much more massive than Earth’s volcanoes; Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the entire Solar System, stands at about 2.5 times the height of Mt. Everest.
    Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Other nations, angered by the new American tariffs, will impose their own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, reducing the sales of America’s most internationally competitive companies.
    Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2025
  • As the situation unfolds, Republicans are caught in a delicate balancing act, wary of angering Trump while addressing the growing backlash against his trade policies.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Then, the supernova explosion — one with more power than a thousand trillion trillion nuclear bombs — will detonate.
    Julian Dossett, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • An explosion detonates during the 25-second video.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Kamikaze sank their first ship on Oct. 25, 1944, when a navy Zero pilot smashed into the USS St. Lo in the Philippine Sea while carrying a pair of 550-pound bombs.
    CBS News, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Carlson was wearing a helmet and smashing the windows of the apartment, and going in and out of the house to get gas cans from his truck, the document said.
    Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Amy Poehler can make her audience crack up about anything - even little coats.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Remember, 6-seed Clemson dominated 11-seed New Mexico a year ago as a 2.5-point 'dog to show that sometimes these dangerous mid-majors aren't quite all they're cracked up to be.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The chute opens, and rambunctious No. 2 bursts out with an impatient huff.
    Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
  • 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
Noun
  • The 26-year-old’s explosion is one of the few positives in a season that will conclude with the draft lottery.
    Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Sudden hearing loss can be caused by proximity to an extremely loud sound like an explosion.
    Uma Raja, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowup. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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