blew up

Definition of blew upnext
past tense of blow up
1
2
as in exploded
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 shattered
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

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of blew up He got separated, then un-separated, then his wife gave birth during a car crash, then his wife blew up. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026 Nine Vicious blew up for a reason. Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 16 Apr. 2026 Less than two weeks later another X post blew up when Kadri followed actress Megan Fox. Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026 One of those blew up on its landing attempt while another was purposefully expended to get its payload to a higher orbital insertion. Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026 Doing so would require the help of at least some Democrats, who've lost no love with their GOP colleagues after House Republicans, led by Johnson, blew up a bipartisan deal the Senate passed unanimously to fully fund all of DHS except immigration enforcement. Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026 Levy blew up the old model, replacing a system of scarcity with one built on abundance. Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 31 Mar. 2026 Ultimately, Maul works for himself, and his attempts to take control of the galaxy with his brother Savage, blew up in his face. Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026 That’s what prompted an iconic photo that blew up on social media of seven of the Stars on their plane wearing matching Ella’s Fellas T-shirts. Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blew up
Verb
  • Many Canadians have also been angered by Trumps comments suggesting Canada become the 51st state.
    Jim Morris, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026
  • This further angered anti-ICE protesters and led Americans to take to the streets in cities nationwide and call for the mass deportations to end.
    Ryan Mancini, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The former safety/Georgetown transfer exploded in 2025 with 125 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, four sacks and a first-team All-Sun Belt nod.
    Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
  • And then ChatGPT came out, and AI exploded.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The project offers an insightful look at Odom, a gifted athlete and former star on the Los Angeles Lakers whose championship career was shattered by multiple personal demons and addiction.
    Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
  • The impact shattered the glass door instantly, sending debris flying and abruptly ending the standoff.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Is tofu all it's cracked up to be?
    Sam Woodward, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • Genrich had been seen in some of the areas where the 1991 bombs detonated, and lived within walking distance of two sites.
    Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2026
  • The explosives were detonated in rapid succession, emitting loud bangs, followed by the booming noise of the building coming down.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • For instance, a concrete bridge is there forever until it is smashed into dust.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Suspects cased stores, then, after closing time, smashed windows and headed straight to the highest-value Lego sets.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Philip Fong | Afp | Getty Images The Japanese government has announced plans to lift a ban on lethal weapons exports, marking the latest shift away from the country’s post-war pacifist policy.
    Sam Meredith,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
  • In another, a mutual friend announced her pregnancy.
    R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Onshore projects can get snarled in land permitting issues, political blowback, and policy volatility; offshore projects, in contrast, can just get moved somewhere else.
    Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Crashes involving about 70 vehicles snarled a section of a snowy Colorado highway and sent eight people to the hospital.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Blew up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blew%20up. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.

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