blowing up

present participle of blow up
1
2
as in exploding
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 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

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 blowing up In a major effort over last weekend, the OpenAI team apparently used an internal model to take the result further, blowing up the full Navier-Stokes equations, according to Buckmaster. Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026 Your originality can solve the tension without blowing up the plan. Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026 Lynn had perhaps the special teams coverage play of the week in the fourth quarter, blowing up tight end Lake McRee on a kickoff before making the tackle. Daniel Popper, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Horgan ended up incorporating some of those videos—AI slop of dogs blowing up houses with laser beam eyes, for instance—which amused Murphy. Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 24 Aug. 2026 Where should our distribution facilities be located to reach 99 percent of customers within two days without blowing up lease and labor costs? Brian Cross, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 But more than that, the mill blowing up just couldn’t be possible. Ethan Brooks, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026 After flying for about an hour halfway around the world, the upper-stage portion of the Starship vehicle managed to land intact in the Indian Ocean – without blowing up. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 29 July 2026 Amal Clooney was spotted at the Milan airport in an unexpected travel style that had the InStyle group chat blowing up. Eva Thomas, InStyle, 16 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowing up
Verb
  • The internet is full of photos of 841 munching on purloined surfboards and then sitting on top of them, snarling at baffled young men in wet suits who try, and then think better of, fighting her for their property.
    Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Friday, spilling lumber across lanes and snarling the downtown Sacramento commute.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • With player salaries and the salary cap exploding, however, Gauthier’s contract looks perfectly reasonable relative to the current market dynamics.
    Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Far enough from the blast radius of champagne spritzes and exploding beers, the reliever, signed in late August, watched his new teammates let loose.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Last week a number of concerned mathematicians, many of them at the top of their subject, launched the Association for Human Mathematics (AHM)—an effort that was underway even before the earth-shattering Navier-Stokes news.
    Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Maya’s fear of commitment mirrors the film’s fear of showing us anything truly ugly or grappling with the idea that our heroine is one of many, many people who lost someone during a society-shattering number of years.
    Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • The dogs were confused, not sure whether to attack or run for cover, and Susan was cracking up.
    Sid Evans, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Rebecca regrets angering Matthijs (Matteo van der Grijn) after putting his daughter in the middle of a heated discussion around the possibility of Matthijs moving to London.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Two go-their-own-way Democrats bucked the party on a routine procedural vote, angering colleagues and raising a red flag about potential party divisions to come.
    Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In a secret 1958 project, the Air Force considered detonating a nuclear bomb on the Moon.
    Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • McGuire also admitted to detonating the bomb in retaliation for various alleged government wrongs, including sheriff’s deputies seizing his firearms earlier that year.
    Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • This would prevent cyclists from smashing into car doors opened into bike lanes, McDermott said.
    Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Boteli sealed his hat-trick at the Johan Cruyff Arena after charging down the right flank, chopping inside and smashing into the far corner on his left foot.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Under the new system, one voice from a non-selector will introduce each candidate by simply announcing his name and sharing his resume.
    Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Her sister Erin created a GoFundMe page announcing that she was hospitalized with severe pneumonia and a bacterial infection in her blood.
    Isabelle Farina, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Blowing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowing%20up. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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