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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of blowup
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 27 Nov. 2025
But with no obvious blowups or scandals this time, some traders think the current drop is more about technicals and confidence than systemic cracks.
—Emily Nicolle, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for blowup
Noun
At street level though, Shields’s name is emblazoned in a blowup of a quote about his performance that ran in this column.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 27 Nov. 2025
But with no obvious blowups or scandals this time, some traders think the current drop is more about technicals and confidence than systemic cracks.
—Emily Nicolle, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025
Verb
Talk about them finding their way back to each other to get five minutes of happiness before it was all blown up by this accident.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for blowup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowup
Noun
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Pennsylvania State Police and its criminal investigation unit responded to the scene, and the coroner has also been notified.—
Garrett Behanna,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
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There’s also a sense of comfort and ease that puts Moctezuma in the perfect position to view the local art scene, but perhaps more importantly, to be a part of it in such a way that can connect communities that might not otherwise cross paths.—
Michael James Rocha,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Watched behind his closed eyelids the eruption of strange visual forms, shapes of light blooming and disintegrating, blue green and yellow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
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Her message endured the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, centuries of burial beneath volcanic ash, and the slow fade of time itself.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of Best’s nieces, Tatiana Barrett, told The Associated Press that revelations from the report have angered and saddened family and friends.—
Dave Collins,
Hartford Courant,
12 Mar. 2026
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One of Best's nieces, Tatiana Barrett, told The Associated Press that revelations from the report have angered and saddened family and friends.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In Lebanon and parts of Syria, Israel detonated thousands of pagers of Hezbollah officials and bombed the group’s headquarters in southern Beirut, killing its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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None of the devices were detonated, and nobody was injured.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Have a little fun in the kitchen smashing the tiny spuds before seasoning with garlic and rosemary.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
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In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties.—
R.J. Coyle,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Padilla and Gosling were a teacher and principal in another sketch reading passed notes out loud that, according to text on screen, were swapped out since rehearsal, causing both to crack up uncontrollably.—
Omar L. Gallaga,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Here, Lauren Houser, vice president of marketing at cleaning solutions company Zep in Atlanta, Georgia, highlights six common hacks that really aren't all they're cracked up to be.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Among agonized grunts and huffs, Probst narrated the fumbles.—
Sarah Grant,
New Yorker,
2 Feb. 2026
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David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Synagogue blaze investigated as arson THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- An explosion that caused a small fire at the entrance of a synagogue in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam early Friday is being treated as arson, police said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
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The explosion occurred during an epic battle over building a subway under Wilshire Boulevard from downtown.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowup. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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