blowup

1 of 3

noun

blow·​up ˈblō-ˌəp How to pronounce blowup (audio)
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

blow-up

2 of 3

adjective

: 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
Sleeping 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

blow up

3 of 3

verb

blew up; blown up; blowing up; blows up

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
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

intransitive verb

1
a
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
4
: to suddenly become very successful, prevalent, or popular
Latin-tinged pop is blowing up because it fits the musical times: …Christopher John Farley

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
This trenching, which began after the blowups, is evident in Planet Labs images analyzed by 38North, with piles of dirt and heavy machinery marking unfinished work. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024 Consider, first, the distinction between past responses to financial blowups and today’s magic money. Raphaële Chappe, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020
Adjective
Dream opted for a blow-up alien costume, standing with her aunt and cousins in the snap. Hannah Sacks, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024 Before the play begins, the cast bops around together onstage, vaping and chilling on a blow-up chaise longue and sharing a Kool-Aid-like substance from a plastic gallon jug covered in Sharpie graffiti. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
Would we be encouraged to throw our smartphones away, at a minimum, and maybe even quit our laptop jobs and dedicate our free time to data-poisoning and blowing up cell towers? Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 2 Dec. 2024 On the second play of the game, Jefferson blew up London on his way to a run stuff of Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who labored his way to 102 yards on a 3.9 yards per carry average. Daniel Popper, The Athletic, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for blowup 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1757, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1850, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1538, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blowup was circa 1538

Dictionary Entries Near blowup

Cite this Entry

“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blowup. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

blowup

1 of 2 noun
blow·​up ˈblō-ˌəp How to pronounce blowup (audio)
1
2
: an outburst of bad temper
3
: a photographic enlargement

blow up

2 of 2 verb
ˈblō-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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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