BLOWING UP Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

blowing up

verb

present participle of blow up

as in flaring (up)

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

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as in exploding

to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure the building blew up because of a gas leak

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as in shattering

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

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as in cracking 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

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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 blowing up Your phone is blowing up with text messages urging you to vote. — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 3 Nov. 2026 The bombshell ended up blowing up in the face of Rogers, the GOP and Stevens’ own face after a car crash of a CNN primetime interview with Anderson Cooper went way off the rails. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026 At Netanyahu's election night party on Tuesday in Jerusalem, giant screens played Hollywood-style videos of soldiers marching, airstrikes blowing up buildings and other destruction. — Daniel Estrin, NPR, 28 Oct. 2026 Beyond pressuring quarterbacks and blowing up run plays behind the line of scrimmage, Harris has also forced three fumbles on the season. — Steven Johnson october 27, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026 You’ve been clocked in on TikTok from the second the song started blowing up again. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2026 With a tornado warning in effect Sunday afternoon, workers had decided to forgo blowing up the oversized lawn ornament. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 There’s a lot more competition now, especially with the celebrity beauty brands and the indie or niche brands that are blowing up on TikTok, which is a super popular platform for discovering new beauty products. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 Arriving well before crowds gathered at the Northbrook Plan Commission’s special public hearing, Lee Goodman started blowing up red balloons. — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowing up

Verb

The westbound lanes of Interstate 30 were closed, snarling traffic for the morning commute as crews worked to clear the scene.

— Briauna Brown, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026
Dmitriev followed up by posting a meme about the new global world order — an American eagle and a Russian bear together snarling at a British lion over the fate of a fracturing European continent.

— Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of snarling

Verb

The series’ second season is invigorating, too, but in a different way, like an icy wind finding its way under your scarf, or a snowball exploding into a puff of powder on your face.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
It was rebroadcast around the country, and the exploding whale became a kind of mascot for Florence and a point of pride for many of its residents.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of exploding

Verb

The novels follow Cammie Skoura, a brilliant, neurodivergent young scientist aboard a deep-space expedition that uncovers a trail of ancient ruins and long-dead alien civilizations leading toward a mind-shattering discovery.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026
Plus, Skullcandy's Crusher Bass technology utilizes dedicated bass drivers to really give you a head-banging experience, sending bone-shattering bass pulsating through your skull.

— George Yang, PC Magazine, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of shattering

Verb

What’s more, cracking up triggers chemical changes that prompt the inner lining of blood vessels to dilate and improve blood flow.

— Don Riddell, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Mark Toothaker, a stallion sales manager for Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, was on the couch cracking up with his wife, Malory, about the whiffed field goal and consequential turnover.

— Kelly O'Grady, CBS News, 3 May 2026

Definition of cracking up

Verb

Data center demand began driving up electric bills last year across a 13-state electricity grid stretching from Illinois to New Jersey and Maryland, angering ratepayers.

— Marc Levy, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Indeed, the survey showed that use of the horn is the most common action when drivers consider another driver to be annoying or angering them.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of angering

Verb

Its construction required detonating explosives in the national monument, blasting apart an area called Monument Hill and outraging tribal leaders.

— Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2026
Akhtar the author, though, is conducting a stealthy psyop aimed at detonating the certainties of combatants on both sides.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of detonating

Verb

The letter was shared as Haitian police and foreign forces continue to battle gangs, with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé announcing on X late Friday that a gang leader was killed, without identifying him.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
The group postponed a pair of Germany shows last weekend — and subsequently nixed the remainder of their tour — after announcing that Gillan was hospitalized with an unspecified health issue.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2026