plural blowups
: a blowing up: such as
a
b
: an outburst of temper
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
David Henry
: designed to be inflated before use : inflatable
Here on the south coast the unusually warm seas have been filled with the inflatable vessels … : blow-up kayaks, dinghies and paddleboards.—Ian Burrell
Ian BurrellSleeping in the car has now gone from rough and ready to the most comfortable outdoor experience—thanks to an ingenious blow-up mattress.—Becky Pemberton
Becky Pemberton
blew up; blown up; blowing up; blows up
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
6
: to overwhelm (something, such as a phone) with calls, messages, alerts, etc.
… say your friend is blowing up your phone with … messages while you're supposed to be focusing on something else.—Jake Peterson
Jake Peterson1
a
: 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
3
a
: 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
Tim Crothers4
: to suddenly become very successful, prevalent, or popular
Latin-tinged pop is blowing up because it fits the musical times: …—Christopher John Farley
Christopher John FarleySynonyms
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 WebJillian Sederholm, EW.com, 15 July 2023
The iconic company founded by Thomas Edison was foundering under $135 billion in debt following the blowup of the company’s financial arm, GE Capital.
—Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Our blowups were sometimes followed by icy silences that could last for days.
—Paul Tough, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024
And at Forti's murder trial in 2000, prosecutors pored over blowups of microscopic images of sand particles with their expert saying the grains definitely came from Virginia Key.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024
Kansas City's ability to work through blowups, penalties and turnovers
This Chiefs team, arguably the least talented in the Reid-Mahomes era (at least on offense), faced trials throughout the regular season.
—Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024
Blinded by Beacon Facebook's first big privacy blowup entailed a service called Beacon, which the platform launched in 2007.
—TIME, 2 Feb. 2024
In the months following the blowup, the couple was spotted together several times.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024
Following the 2016 blowup, months of tense negotiations between the two parties to try to resuscitate the business arrangement failed.
—Indrani Sen, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024
CBS News, 26 Mar. 2024
Munn could be seen posing with her son next to a blue blow-up birthday balloon while standing in front of a set table.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024
Kim posted footage from the bash at the time as her backyard was transformed into a soccer player paradise, with blow-up bounce houses goal-scoring setups for guests.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
In one of the most surprisingly real moments of Netflix's series to date, their relationship ended without the pomp and circumstance of a finale wedding, or massive blow-up argument.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024
Speaking of focusing on the future…dwelling on the blow-up that already happened won’t change a thing.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 4 Jan. 2024
Inflatable footrests can be placed in front of a seat to create a balloon of support, much like a blow-up pillow or mattress.
—Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2024
Amy finally realized how serious her mental health issues were after a massive blow-up between herself and her sisters Amanda and Tammy during a trip to Florida over the summer.
—Eileen Finan, Peoplemag, 17 Dec. 2023
Despite being a blow-up, it’s designed to last with double-layer, thickened PVC construction and a leakproof seamless bonding technique.
—Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 12 Dec. 2023
Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
At the Moody Center in Austin, Texas country acts who’ve been blowing up in recent months showed up to the CMT Music Awards.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024
Its collection includes such items as his Moloch floor lamp — an ordinary swing-arm desk lamp blown up to gargantuan proportions.
—Fred A. Bernstein, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
He got blown up three times in Afghanistan in 2008, like big booms.
—Quil Lawrence, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024
There was also the fact that some of the miners are Venezuelans who have crossed the border, which meant that arresting them and blowing up their boats risked creating an international incident.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The organization will pay $418 million in damages and agreed to blow up its decades-long practice on commissions paid to brokers.
—Jill Schlesinger, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
The bad news for the club: Its biggest bullpen weakness — a lack of reliable options to deploy against left-handed hitters — blew up in its face during a seventh-inning collapse.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024
During the pandemic, and in the years that followed, TikTok showed how short-form videos could blow up songs and artists seemingly overnight, largely driven by fan interactions and viral social media trends.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
Noun
Several contestants on the Fox reality series got into a major blowup last week after Lance Armstrong shared his controversial opinions about trans athletes.
—Jillian Sederholm, EW.com, 15 July 2023
The iconic company founded by Thomas Edison was foundering under $135 billion in debt following the blowup of the company’s financial arm, GE Capital.
—Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Our blowups were sometimes followed by icy silences that could last for days.
—Paul Tough, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024
And at Forti's murder trial in 2000, prosecutors pored over blowups of microscopic images of sand particles with their expert saying the grains definitely came from Virginia Key.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024
Kansas City's ability to work through blowups, penalties and turnovers
This Chiefs team, arguably the least talented in the Reid-Mahomes era (at least on offense), faced trials throughout the regular season.
—Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024
Blinded by Beacon Facebook's first big privacy blowup entailed a service called Beacon, which the platform launched in 2007.
—TIME, 2 Feb. 2024
In the months following the blowup, the couple was spotted together several times.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024
Following the 2016 blowup, months of tense negotiations between the two parties to try to resuscitate the business arrangement failed.
—Indrani Sen, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Bong plastered a blow-up of Vattendahl's portrait on the nose of the plane, according to a Pacific Wrecks' summary of the plane's service.
—CBS News, 26 Mar. 2024
Munn could be seen posing with her son next to a blue blow-up birthday balloon while standing in front of a set table.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024
Kim posted footage from the bash at the time as her backyard was transformed into a soccer player paradise, with blow-up bounce houses goal-scoring setups for guests.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
In one of the most surprisingly real moments of Netflix's series to date, their relationship ended without the pomp and circumstance of a finale wedding, or massive blow-up argument.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024
Speaking of focusing on the future…dwelling on the blow-up that already happened won’t change a thing.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 4 Jan. 2024
Inflatable footrests can be placed in front of a seat to create a balloon of support, much like a blow-up pillow or mattress.
—Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2024
Amy finally realized how serious her mental health issues were after a massive blow-up between herself and her sisters Amanda and Tammy during a trip to Florida over the summer.
—Eileen Finan, Peoplemag, 17 Dec. 2023
Despite being a blow-up, it’s designed to last with double-layer, thickened PVC construction and a leakproof seamless bonding technique.
—Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 12 Dec. 2023
Verb
Best friend blows up over last-minute destination wedding Perspective
Carolyn Hax: Sharing is scaring?
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
At the Moody Center in Austin, Texas country acts who’ve been blowing up in recent months showed up to the CMT Music Awards.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024
Its collection includes such items as his Moloch floor lamp — an ordinary swing-arm desk lamp blown up to gargantuan proportions.
—Fred A. Bernstein, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
He got blown up three times in Afghanistan in 2008, like big booms.
—Quil Lawrence, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024
There was also the fact that some of the miners are Venezuelans who have crossed the border, which meant that arresting them and blowing up their boats risked creating an international incident.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The organization will pay $418 million in damages and agreed to blow up its decades-long practice on commissions paid to brokers.
—Jill Schlesinger, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
The bad news for the club: Its biggest bullpen weakness — a lack of reliable options to deploy against left-handed hitters — blew up in its face during a seventh-inning collapse.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024
During the pandemic, and in the years that followed, TikTok showed how short-form videos could blow up songs and artists seemingly overnight, largely driven by fan interactions and viral social media trends.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blowup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near blowup
Cite this Entry
“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blowup. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blowup
1 of 2 noun
blow·up
ˈblō-ˌəp 
blow up
2 of 2 verbˈblō-ˈəp
1
: to expand or become expanded to extraordinary size
2
: to fill up or become filled with a gas and especially air
blow up a balloon
3
: to make an enlargement of
blow up a photograph
4
a
: to destroy or become destroyed by explosion
b
: to become violently angry
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