BLEW UP Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

blew up

verb

past tense of blow up

as in angered

to become very angry she blew up at everybody after a very long and very bad day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

as in cracked up

to praise or publicize lavishly and often excessively the advertisement blows the new soda up to the point where I half expected to be transported to a higher level of consciousness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 As their last retreating act, Hussein’s soldiers blew up some 700 Kuwaiti oil wells, painting the sky black with smoke and igniting unchecked fires that burned for 10 months. — Wuft News, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026 Specifically in New York, a Swedish candy store called Bon Bon blew up and had influencers creating ASMR taste test videos. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026 Then, a few weeks later, Israel blew up the ongoing talks by assassinating both Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas representative leading peace talks in Qatar, and Mohammed Deif, a top decision-maker inside Gaza. — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 But his strategy of deferring problems instead of seeking constructive solutions to them eventually blew up, resulting in the invasion of southern Israel and the deaths of 1,200 Israelis. — Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026 But the gesture that surprised him most, Salazar said, may have been the time that one of Fanara’s cooks couldn’t get to work because his car’s engine blew up. — Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026 All the hype and pageantry of an impending Conor McGregor return to the UFC Octagon on Saturday night blew up in smoke within seconds. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2026 Lamine Yamal also complained about the readaptation exercises he was given after suffering a groin injury, but the situation blew up when Raphinha suffered multiple setbacks from a hamstring injury in October. — Pol Ballús, New York Times, 10 July 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, 9 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blew up

Verb

The strategy has also angered China, which has demanded that Manila rein in the Coast Guard spokesman who leads it.

— Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
But council members Kimberly Owens and JD Mazuera Arias said they were shocked and angered that no one from CMPD or city administration informed them of the case until the day the Observer’s initial story published.

— Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026

Definition of angered

Verb

For example, demand for electric vehicles in the country exploded over the course of the war, and the number of EVs on the road surged by a third.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
Jason Kilar, the corporate overlord of Warners at the time, exploded the company’s goodwill with talent and agents in every corner of the business by forcing the studio’s titles to stream day and date.

— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 21 July 2026

Definition of exploded

Verb

If Infantino’s credibility is shattered and nothing is done to bring a proper change in priorities, then the governance of the sport is unlikely to recover.

— Simon Hughes, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
The peaceful exile is shattered when Ravana’s sister, Surpanakha (played by Rakul Preet Singh), becomes infatuated with Rama, setting off a chain of events that leads to her humiliation.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 July 2026

Definition of shattered

Verb

Those barriers were primarily designed to protect against gunfire, mortar and rocket attacks, and vehicle bombs detonated at a distance, not direct impacts from advanced weapons, according to a 2006 Army assessment of base infrastructure.

— Steven Beynon, ABC News, 21 July 2026
The estate played the home of Rose Byrne’s hoity-toity Helen Harris III in Bridesmaids (the backyard is where Kristen Wiig’s Annie detonated mid-bridal-shower, cookie in hand).

— David Hochman, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of detonated

Verb

Joc Pederson smashed a lead-off home run for the sixth time this season, then hit another homer in the second inning to power the Texas Rangers past the Seattle Mariners 7-3 Monday afternoon at Globe Life Field.

— Cal Phillips Updated July 27, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 July 2026
But when all the grapeskins were smashed, the best feet standing belonged to the oldest and shortest man in the field, 66-year-old former Atherton Mayor Charles Marsala.

— Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 28 July 2026

Definition of smashed

Verb

Given the extent of the disruption to oil exports from the Middle East since the start of hostilities between Washington and Tehran, most of the hikes announced by OPEC+ since March have had a negligible impact on the physical crude market.

— Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
The project was announced less than 36 hours before the meeting.

— Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 2 Aug. 2026