1
as in scene
an outburst or display of excited anger
the boss had another blowup when someone fouled up the copy machine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to anger
to become very angry
she blew up at everybody after a very long and very bad day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to detonate
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 to smash
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
as in to crack 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
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Recent Examples of blowup
Zach Harper, New York Times, 17 June 2025
In Other News Branch out with more stories from the day:
X users were glued to the Musk v. Trump blowup.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 6 June 2025
Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
And on fourth-and-goal from the 1, the handoff to him was blown up in the backfield.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blowup
Noun
The Marc Lore-Alex Rodriguez era could potentially start with a blowup in their face, rather than a bang, if so.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 17 June 2025
In Other News Branch out with more stories from the day:
X users were glued to the Musk v. Trump blowup.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 6 June 2025
Verb
Baseball internet blew up last week with the footage of the late, great Vin Scully previewing a Sunday afternoon game at Dodger Stadium back in 2008.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
And on fourth-and-goal from the 1, the handoff to him was blown up in the backfield.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blowup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowup
Noun
-
The first scene of the new movie Splitsville starts with a hand job and ends with a car crash.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
28 Aug. 2025
-
The pin-sharp 8K display shows dizzying scenes of schools of fish, waves and water currents rushing around the room.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Those eruptions happened over tens of thousands of years.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
21 Aug. 2025
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The convective rock currents continue to flow slowly and ripple over millions of years, leading to rare volcanic eruptions that bring diamonds to Earth’s surface or help uplift mountains, the researchers found.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In fact, Martineau’s sign angered plenty of Democrats, some of whom were already worried that smug liberal activists are harming the party.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
25 Aug. 2025
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired a general whose agency’s initial intelligence assessment of damage to Iranian nuclear sites from U.S. strikes angered President Donald Trump, according to two people familiar with the decision and a White House official.—
Konstantin Toropin,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The first nuclear weapon was detonated in secret at Alamogordo Bombing Range in New Mexico on July 16, 1945, inaugurating the Atomic Age.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Bomarc rockets had jets designed to propel a W40 nuclear warhead into high-flying USSR aircraft, which would detonate in the sky, showering the earth with radioactive debris, neutralizing quite a few enemies of American freedom.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The woman then allegedly hit the driver’s car with a tire iron, smashed her windows, and threw a brick at her car.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
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While today’s burger price at Town Topic is $4.95, not much else has changed, according to Waite, who said the beef patties are still smashed thin and fried to achieve crispy edges, just like Sparks and Billings did.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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With his razor-sharp wit and signature storytelling style, the Emmy Award-winning funnyman will crack up audiences with tales from his road travels and most memorable meetups with folks across the political spectrum.—
Karu F. Daniels,
New York Daily News,
31 July 2025
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Together Instagram Users React The video reached over 428,000 views on Instagram as of Monday, with users cracking up at the chaotic mistake.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 July 2025
Noun
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Getty Images To date, the post has amassed more than 900 comments from TikTok viewers, many of them poking fun at the golden retriever mother's annoyed expression and shallow huffs.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
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The chute opens, and rambunctious No. 2 bursts out with an impatient huff.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
There's also been an explosion of machine identities, known as non-human identities (NHIs), that enterprises have to contend with.—
TK Keanini,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Within hours, the hospital would receive trauma victims from a series of explosions at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works.—
Salena Zito,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowup. Accessed 2 Sep. 2025.
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