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
Marcia Davenporta 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 blast …—Shakespeare
Shakespeare
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
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 nounTim Murphya blast fax
blasted; blasting; blasts
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
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
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
ˌblast
: formative unit especially of living matter : germ : cell : cell layer
epiblast
Synonyms
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 WebLars Brandle, Billboard, 3 Apr. 2024
Posts to the Clifton Neighborhood Association Facebook group show blasts continuing at the plant, with the latest one reported on March 18.
—The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
That blast could be the enforcement of the Comstock Act under a Trump presidency.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Industry odds and ends The Lown Institute last week came out with its latest report that puts hospitals on blast for having lower charity care spending relative to the value of their tax exemptions.
—Tara Bannow, STAT, 1 Apr. 2024
The blast and the resulting fire destroyed state secrets, church records, property deeds, tax receipts, legal documents, financial data, census returns and much more, dating back to the Middle Ages.
—Ed O’Loughlin, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Two of his store’s windows were broken in the blast.
—Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024
In footage captured by the crew on Saturday, buildings could be seen destroyed around the Al-Shifa medical complex as blasts rang out and smoke rose in the distance.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
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
Brenda Goodman, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Diamond Hill controlled the ball most of the first half and got on the board in the 18th minute when Edgar Resendiz gathered a loose ball and blasted it past the keeper from 20 yards out.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Set in 2009 and shot in a parking lot on a period-appropriate camcorder, the film blasts by with a runtime just under an hour.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 2 Apr. 2024
Close to its surface, giant fiery flares called prominences blast upward; beyond them extends the corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere, which can measure in the millions of degrees on any temperature scale.
—Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2024
And Ukraine is getting its big guns ready to resume blasting away.
—David Axe, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
For example, on April 3, 2006, warm weather and a severe thunderstorm with strong winds blasted the blossoms from the trees.
—Kevin Ambrose, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
The next day, the story was picked up by Moms for Liberty leader Scarlett Johnson and blasted by conservative talk show host Dan O'Donnell, who criticized the policy for appearing to allow transgender students to use facilities that align with their gender.
—Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2024
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
Noun
The one-time U.K. chart champion, Guts lifts 4-3 on the chart blast.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 3 Apr. 2024
Posts to the Clifton Neighborhood Association Facebook group show blasts continuing at the plant, with the latest one reported on March 18.
—The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
That blast could be the enforcement of the Comstock Act under a Trump presidency.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Industry odds and ends The Lown Institute last week came out with its latest report that puts hospitals on blast for having lower charity care spending relative to the value of their tax exemptions.
—Tara Bannow, STAT, 1 Apr. 2024
The blast and the resulting fire destroyed state secrets, church records, property deeds, tax receipts, legal documents, financial data, census returns and much more, dating back to the Middle Ages.
—Ed O’Loughlin, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Two of his store’s windows were broken in the blast.
—Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024
In footage captured by the crew on Saturday, buildings could be seen destroyed around the Al-Shifa medical complex as blasts rang out and smoke rose in the distance.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
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
Verb
So someone in Illinois, for example, might be seeing bigger changes in pollen than somebody in Texas – although Texas gets blasted with pollen, too.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Diamond Hill controlled the ball most of the first half and got on the board in the 18th minute when Edgar Resendiz gathered a loose ball and blasted it past the keeper from 20 yards out.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Set in 2009 and shot in a parking lot on a period-appropriate camcorder, the film blasts by with a runtime just under an hour.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 2 Apr. 2024
Close to its surface, giant fiery flares called prominences blast upward; beyond them extends the corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere, which can measure in the millions of degrees on any temperature scale.
—Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2024
And Ukraine is getting its big guns ready to resume blasting away.
—David Axe, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
For example, on April 3, 2006, warm weather and a severe thunderstorm with strong winds blasted the blossoms from the trees.
—Kevin Ambrose, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
The next day, the story was picked up by Moms for Liberty leader Scarlett Johnson and blasted by conservative talk show host Dan O'Donnell, who criticized the policy for appearing to allow transgender students to use facilities that align with their gender.
—Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2024
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
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
Phrases Containing blast
Dictionary Entries Near blast
Cite this Entry
“Blast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blast. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
blast
1 of 2 noun1
: 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
: speed entry 1 sense 1b, operation
go full blast
8
: a very enjoyable event
blast
2 of 2 verb1
: 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 noun1
: 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
Nglish: Translation of blast for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of blast for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blast
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