blast

1 of 4

noun

1
a
: a violent gust of wind
a cold blast of air
b
: the effect or accompaniment (such as sleet) of such a gust
a blast of freezing rain
2
: the sound produced by an impulsion of air through a wind instrument or whistle
the blast of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah
the trumpet's blast
3
: something resembling a gust of wind: such as
a
: a stream of air or gas forced through a hole
b
: a vehement expression of feeling
… let out a great blast of mirth …Marcia Davenport
a blast of anger
c
: the continuous blowing to which a charge of ore or metal is subjected in a blast furnace
4
a
: a sudden pernicious influence or effect
got a blast of reality when she left home
a blast of criticism
… virtue preserved from fell destruction's blastShakespeare
b
botany : a disease of plants marked by the formation of destructive lesions on leaves and inflorescences
5
a
: an explosion or violent detonation
The blast killed eight people.
a shotgun blast
b
: the shock wave of an explosion
felt the blast from several miles away
c
sports : a forceful hit (as in baseball) or shot (as in soccer or golf)
especially : home run
6
: speed, capacity, operation
turned the water on full blast
go full blast
7
: an enjoyably exciting experience, occasion, or event
I had a blast.
Their wedding was a blast.
especially : party
8
: the sending of a message (such as a fax or an email) in multiple copies to numerous recipients at one time
The campaign then sends Jane targeted messages via canvassers, phone calls, ads, and its increasingly sophisticated email blasts.Tim Murphy
often used before another noun
a blast fax

blast

2 of 4

verb

blasted; blasting; blasts

intransitive verb

1
: blare
music blasting from the radio
2
: to make a vigorous attack
blasting away at her opponent
3
a
: to use an explosive
blast through the wall
b
: shoot
They walked in and started blasting.
4
: to hit a golf ball out of a sand trap with explosive force
5
: to proceed rapidly or aggressively
blasting down the ski slope

transitive verb

1
a
: to injure by or as if by the action of wind
young crops being blasted by the hot dry wind
b
: blight
The entire crop was blasted by fungus.
The injury blasted her dreams of winning a gold medal.
2
a
: to shatter by or as if by an explosive
blasting out nearly all of the building's windows
b
: to remove, open, or form by or as if by an explosive
blast a hole through the wall
blast away these barriers to progress …Elmer Davis
c
: shoot
The gunman blasted him down.
3
: to attack vigorously
blasting their opponents in the media
4
: to cause to blast off
will blast themselves from the moon's surface
5
: to hit vigorously and effectively
blasted a home run
6
: to play loudly
blasting rock music on the stereo

blast-

3 of 4

combining form

variants or blasto-
: bud : budding : germ
blastodisc

-blast

4 of 4

noun combining form

ˌblast
: formative unit especially of living matter : germ : cell : cell layer
epiblast
Phrases
blast from the past
: a striking reminder of an earlier time : something that excites nostalgia
This picture is a real blast from the past.

Examples of blast in a Sentence

Noun She opened the door and felt a cold blast. He was hit by a blast of water from the hose. The driver gave a long blast on his horn. the blast of the factory whistle The bomb blast killed eight people. Verb Workers were blasting rock where the new highway will go. The rock has been blasted away. The explosion blasted a hole in the side of the ship. The mayor was blasted by the local press. The judge blasted the lawyers for delaying the trial. Human rights groups have blasted the government for its treatment of political prisoners. He blasted his rival with a pistol. A gunship blasted enemy headquarters. They blasted the enemy plane out of the sky.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The injury was consistent with exposure to weapons blasts, something Card was exposed to as an instructor at an Army grenade training range. Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 Allegheny County emergency dispatchers said the blast in Crescent Township in the northwest Pittsburgh suburbs was reported shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday. Pilar Arias, Fox News, 13 Mar. 2024 It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the ‘Scream‘ movies. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024 More:Mild Michigan winters could have consequences for crops, gardens, wildlife Klein said March is a transition month, when balmy days or blasts of snow are always possible. Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024 These pint-size pieces of furniture offer the perfect spot for exploring arts and crafts, Play-Doh, or building blocks, not to mention making mealtime a blast. Samantha McIntyre, Parents, 9 Mar. 2024 The series of blasts in the Tierra Caliente — an area along the border of Jalisco and Michoacán states that has long been a hot zone for cartel warfare — mark an alarming escalation of violence in Mexico as criminal groups arm themselves with ever-more sophisticated and deadly weaponry. Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 In the meantime, though, large numbers of troops continue to train every day with weapons that create potentially harmful blasts. Dave Philipps, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Six-year-olds will have a blast watching Captain America, Wonder Woman, and more of their favorite superheroes come to life. Erica Puisis, Parents, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
The atmosphere between songs was so reverent that somebody was moved to pierce the tension by blasting an ironic airhorn. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 21 Mar. 2024 In a series of official White House events and political gatherings, Biden blasted Trump for cutting taxes for the wealthy, increasing the federal deficit and failing to follow through on plans that could help the nation. Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Nvidia says such a computer can blast through 11.5 exaflops using 4-bit precision calculations. IEEE Spectrum, 18 Mar. 2024 Oshoala took a one-time shot and blasted it upper-90, slamming the ball off the inside of the crossbar that narrowly found netting for Bay FC’s first-ever goal. Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024 But Trump blasted Biden for arguing to voters his policies would improve economics for Milwaukee families. Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024 Trump spoke for more than an hour to a crowd of about 2,000 supporters, blasting judges, the U.S. Justice Department and the move by both U.S. and Michigan leaders to speed the auto industry's transition away from gasoline combustion engines toward electric vehicles. Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2024 Congressional Republicans blasted the plea agreement as too lenient. Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 Skipping class in the bathroom, blasting Jay Critch music. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English blǣst; akin to Old High German blāst blast, blāsan to blow, Old English blāwan — more at blow

Verb

Middle English blasten, derivative of blast blast entry 1

Combining form

combining form from Greek blastós "shoot, bud, embryo, germ" — more at -blast

Noun combining form

combining form from Greek blastós "shoot, bud, embryo, germ," noun derivative from the base of blastánein "to bud, sprout, grow," of obscure origin

Note: The supposed base *melōdh- "protuberance, head" in Julius Pokorny, Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (citing, in addition to blastós, Sanskrit mūrdhan- "head," Greek blōthrós "tall," Old English molda "top of the head") is improbable as an Indo-European root;a substratal origin is possible, but the semantic links are weak.

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blast was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near blast

Cite this Entry

“Blast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blast. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blast

1 of 2 noun
1
: a strong gust of wind
2
: a stream of air or gas forced through an opening
3
: the continuous blowing that ore or metal receives in a blast furnace
4
: the sound made by a wind instrument (as a horn) or by a whistle
5
b
: an explosive charge
c
: the sudden air pressure produced around an explosion
6
: a sudden harmful effect from or as if from a hot wind
7
8
: a very enjoyable event

blast

2 of 2 verb
1
: blare
music blasting from a radio
2
a
: to use an explosive
b
: shoot
3
: to injure or destroy by or as if by the action of wind
seedlings blasted by the hot dry wind
4
: to shatter by or as if by an explosive
5
: to attack vigorously
blasted by the local press
6
: to cause to blast off
will blast themselves from the moon's surface
blaster noun

Medical Definition

blast

1 of 2 noun
1
: an explosion or violent detonation
2
: the violent effect produced in the vicinity of an explosion that consists of a wave of increased atmospheric pressure followed by a wave of decreased atmospheric pressure
blast verb

blast

2 of 2 noun

More from Merriam-Webster on blast

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