blowup

noun

blow·up | \ ˈblō-ˌəp

plural blowups

Definition of blowup

(Entry 1 of 3)

: a blowing up: such as

a : explosion

b : an outburst of temper

c : enlargement sense 2

d : a catastrophic financial failure or collapse Sometime in the next few years, a blowup is likely—one that could sink an already foundering economy.— David Henry

blow-up

adjective

\ ˈblō-ˌəp

Definition of blow-up (Entry 2 of 3)

: inflatable

blow up

verb

blew up; blown up; blowing up; blows up

Definition of blow up (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to build up or tout to an unreasonable extent advertisers blowing up their products

2 : to rend apart, shatter, or destroy by explosion

3 : to fill up with a gas (such as air) blow up a balloon

4 : to make a photographic enlargement of

5 : to bring into existence by blowing of wind it may blow up a storm

intransitive verb

1a : explode

b : to be disrupted or destroyed (as by explosion)

c : to lose self-control especially : to become violently angry

2 : to become or come into being by or as if by blowing of wind

3a : to become filled with a gas

b : to become expanded to unreasonable proportions

c : to gain a large amount of weight In the ensuing two years Gibson blew up to more than 400 pounds as he ate an over-abundance of fast foods …— Tim Crothers

4 : to suddenly become very successful, prevalent, or popular Latin-tinged pop is blowing up because it fits the musical times: …— Christopher John Farley

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about blowup

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Synonyms & Antonyms for blowup

Synonyms: Noun

explosion, fireworks, fit, hissy [chiefly Southern & southern Midland], hissy fit, huff, scene, tantrum

Synonyms: Verb

flare (up), flip (out) [slang]

Antonyms: Verb

calm (down), simmer down

Examples of blowup in a Sentence

Noun

The blowup of the photograph was easy to frame. The two of them had a big blowup about something trivial. The coach's latest blowup occurred when one of his players arrived late.

Verb

she blew up at everybody after a very long and very bad day the building blew up because of a gas leak

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Those explosions can have pretty significant consequences when a fire breaks out near a concrete structure, but the actual process of how the blowups happen isn't very well understood by scientists. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Watch Concrete Blow Up When Heated (and See Why It Happens)," 6 May 2019 Though his blowup paddling-pool headpieces were easily a close second. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Born in Buffalo and Trained in London, Edwin Mohney Sources the Fabric for His Radical Ball Gowns at Kmart," 16 Feb. 2019 Bannon has not commented publicly on the university blowup, but the University of Chicago released a statement Thursday reaffirming its commitment to academic freedom. — Susan Hogan, Washington Post, "Steve Bannon invitation sparks protests at University of Chicago," 26 Jan. 2018 The blowup created a field of satellite debris at that altitude. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "India's Anti-Satellite Test Could Threaten the International Space Station," 2 Apr. 2019 Little did Rosie know that her comments would turn out to be a major talking point in one of the biggest View blowups in the show's history six days later. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "What Really Happened on 'The View' Between Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Rosie O'Donnell," 27 Mar. 2019 Weak governance has historically been tied to corporate blowups such as Volkswagen ’s diesel-emissions cheating scandal, just as weak environmental controls have been a cause of oil spills at companies like BP. — Elizabeth Winkler, WSJ, "#MeToo Is Not a Buying Opportunity for Investors," 12 July 2018 Guests entered through a giant blowup of Stormi's head, a concept taken straight from Astroworld's album cover. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Every Detail You Missed at Kylie Jenner’s Daughter’s Outrageous First Birthday Party," 11 Feb. 2019 The whole situation started strangely, with Riverdale star Vanessa Morgan singing to a blowup doll with a fabulous bob wig in blunt bangs. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "John Legend Went on 'Lip Sync Battle' and Wore a Fabulous Wig," 8 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Biden’s initial bid for the prize in 1988 famously blew up when rivals unkindly publicized his plagiarism of a stump speech given by Neil Kinnock, a British Labour Party politician. — Andrew Cockburn, Harper's magazine, "No Joe!," 10 June 2019 The smaller boulder, which weighed 2.3 million lbs, Colorado simply blew up, which must have been very satisfying. — Sarah Todd, Quartz, "A giant boulder in Colorado offers a philosophical lesson for all of us," 8 June 2019 But the fate of the Christie-era Economic Development Authority (EDA) incentive programs, and an investigation into how they were shaped, have blown up into a battle royale in Trenton, carrying over to prime season for budget talks. — Catherine Dunn, https://www.inquirer.com, "Gov. Murphy pushes new tax credit proposals, amid investigations of current program," 5 June 2019 The smaller of the two boulders, weighing 2.3 million pounds, was blown up May 27. — The Denver Post, The Mercury News, "A huge rock is blocking a Colorado highway. Governor decides to leave it, call it a landmark.," 5 June 2019 And each year a 90s trend blows ups (read: chokers in 2016 and chunky kicks in 2019) and some retailers really nail providing these revivals to 90s and fashion enthusiasts alike. — Teen Vogue, "Betsey Johnson x Urban Outfitters Collection is Making My 90s Dreams Come True," 13 May 2019 After all, our planet has been hit by some pretty big space rocks, including one that blew up over Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013, shattering windows and injuring more than 1,200 people. — NBC News, "Stopping 'Armageddon': This former astronaut is on a mission to save Earth from deadly asteroids," 10 July 2018 There's no Death Star to blow up, no fight to save the whole of humanity — just a gang of misfits trying to make a buck and not die in the process. — refinery29.com, "Solo: A Star Wars Story," 15 May 2018 After learning how to play guitar from YouTube tutorials, the heartthrob blew up on social media and ended up getting signed to Island Records in 2014 and releasing his first album in 2015. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "You Won't Believe How Big Shawn Mendes' Net Worth Is!," 19 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blowup.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.