blowback

noun

Definition of blowbacknext
as in fallout

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar 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 blowback The blowback was so loud and swift that lawmakers stripped out the language within two weeks. — Bob Herman, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026 The main challenge is that targeting the remaining options risk blowback on the US economy. — Magdalena Del Valle, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026 Powell, the former Vanguard Charitable attorney, said the sponsors are unlikely to be moved by public blowback. — Ellis Simani, ProPublica, 14 Aug. 2026 So far, blowback from the Iran war has fallen primarily on the Gulf states. — Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for blowback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowback
  1. fallout
  2. by-product
  3. side effect
  4. offshoot
Noun
  • The fallout of this fraud included several new state-level fiscal accountability reforms for all New York school districts, including stricter internal controls, mandatory board oversight and independent auditor requirements.
    — Kathryn Blackman, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The fungibility of the hands is a reprieve from the book’s scenes of violence and its fallout, from the endless assigning of blame and the apportioning out of mercy or destruction.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of fallout
Noun
  • The good news, said Helen Lewis in The Atlantic, is that all this drama is a by-product of the league’s astonishing success.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Netflix execs no doubt long ago figured out how to tune out the nattering nabobs of negativism, understanding that such scrutiny — from both consumers and the press — is the unavoidable by-product of success.
    — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of by-product
Noun
  • Imagine two people reading the same headline about a rare side effect from a new vaccine.
    — Aleeza Gerstein, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Her delirium was probably a side effect of her medication, Golding says.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of side effect
Noun
  • Bateman’s small group was an offshoot of the polygamous sect once led by Warren Jeffs.
    — Jacques Billaud, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Bateman led an offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and presented himself as a religious prophet following the imprisonment of longtime FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, PEOPLE previously reported.
    — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of offshoot

Browse Nearby Words

blow away
blowback
blowbacks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blowback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowback. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on blowback

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blowback

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All