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
  • Detectives with the department, along with the Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad, spent much of the afternoon and evening hours at the scene — which is about ¼ mile away from the Colonel Ledyard Cemetery on Mitchell Street where police found human remains on March 19.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Another group, studying the same data record, sketches a very different scene: a magma‑ocean hellscape, sterilized by heat.
    Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 18 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
  • This week, President Donald Trump froze $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University, angering members of the Elbow Patch Mafia around America.
    Christian Schneider, National Review, 17 Apr. 2025
  • That meeting angered Israeli officials, and reportedly Dermer in particular.
    Alex Marquardt, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Trump has declared an all-out war on globalism, detonating every one of America's trading relationships — allies and adversaries alike — by imposing the largest tariffs in nearly a century.
    Axios, Axios, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Then, the supernova explosion — one with more power than a thousand trillion trillion nuclear bombs — will detonate.
    Julian Dossett, Space.com, 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
  • From Ediacaran Precursors To The Cambrian Explosion The discovery and classification of Dickinsonia have had profound implications for our understanding of the Cambrian explosion.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Authorities also said there was a vehicle on fire, which has since been put out, at the address of the house explosion.
    Kelly Murray, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowup. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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