1
as in flaring (up)
to become very angry
she blew up at everybody after a very long and very bad day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blowing up
The history of first-year coaches blowing up their staff after their first year is even thinner.
—
Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
More news to know now Trump backs away from blowing up NATO.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
The story is set in the mid-2000s and centers on betrayal, both personal and political, culminating in a plot to assassinate late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il – father of current leader Kim Jong Un – by blowing up his train.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
In such a case, any adjustment to that initial arrangement, no matter how small, would prevent the fluid from blowing up.
—Quanta Magazine, 9 Jan. 2026
Of course, the committee wouldn’t normally award the prize to someone who has been blowing up small, allegedly drug-running fishing boats, killing the people in them.
—Merrill Matthews, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
The brand is blowing up for its bold designs, playful colorways, and the distinct versatility of its catalog.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Jan. 2026
That’s why the Springsteen arguments are blowing up like the Chicken Man.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2025
Since then, her phone has been blowing up.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
More news to know now Trump backs away from blowing up NATO.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
The story is set in the mid-2000s and centers on betrayal, both personal and political, culminating in a plot to assassinate late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il – father of current leader Kim Jong Un – by blowing up his train.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
In such a case, any adjustment to that initial arrangement, no matter how small, would prevent the fluid from blowing up.
—Quanta Magazine, 9 Jan. 2026
Of course, the committee wouldn’t normally award the prize to someone who has been blowing up small, allegedly drug-running fishing boats, killing the people in them.
—Merrill Matthews, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
The brand is blowing up for its bold designs, playful colorways, and the distinct versatility of its catalog.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Jan. 2026
That’s why the Springsteen arguments are blowing up like the Chicken Man.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2025
Since then, her phone has been blowing up.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowing up
Verb
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The overlapping relationships between the three, heightened by external narratives in the press and online, fester in isolation, eventually exploding into tragedy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
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Yoo thinks the company lost momentum after the 2016 Galaxy Note 7 crisis, when exploding batteries forced a massive recall.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yet for all of Malinin’s athleticism and his Beamonesque ability to take flight what has been most telling in what has already been a world record-shattering Olympic season has been the maturity of his skating, the willingness to take emotional risks in his programs.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
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Bana and Rocha were among the 615 participants in the 27th annual Waukegan Polar Bear Plunge on Thursday at the Waukegan Municipal Beach, shattering the record of 540 set in 2024, and collectively raising more than $20,000 for Special Recreation Services of Northern Lake County.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The camera cut to O’Leary cracking up in the audience.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
11 Jan. 2026
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Winner This week's winner left us cracking up with his acting skills.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In a post on Telegram, Kiper said a two-story residential building was damaged and that a drone hit an apartment on the 17th floor of a high-rise building without detonating.—
Illia Novikov,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Jan. 2026
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Jayme Thornton Crossfire’s approach of detonating water balloons in midair—which has yet to be patented so the team would not describe it in detail—could eventually change the calculation about how much suppressant is needed to fight fires.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
24 Dec. 2025
Verb
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By smashing together heavy atoms of lead traveling at near-light speeds using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), scientists can create a high-energy environment that briefly frees gluons and quarks from this atomic bondage, recreating the quark-gluon plasma of the early universe.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Repurposing waste heat The launch of the system marked the first time that the Large Hadron Collider, better known for smashing protons at near-light speeds, has been tapped as a renewable thermal source.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, California continued blowing money on a high-speed rail project that is years behind schedule and billions over budget, was bilked for billions in fraud, and funded an anti-homelessness bureaucracy with no accountability, among other things.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
26 Jan. 2026
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The idea is not only to speed up the time for AI systems to respond, but also to enable larger context windows, add quality checks on answers and keep AI features turned on for more users without blowing past budgets.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Crews are demolishing Westport infrastructure to construct an underground storage basin to hold water that previously would have flooded Westport buildings.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
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On Thursday morning, crews were nearly finished demolishing the adjacent structures, one of which was damaged by a fire in March 2024.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Presenter Hailee Steinfeld made her first red carpet appearance since announcing she and husband Josh Allen were expecting their first child together in a baby pink dress with a small train and Repossi jewelry.—
Jackie Fields,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
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Anticipating the arrival of letters has become part of the rhythm of Helen’s day, part of the light shifting across the kitchen floor and the cuckoo of her wooden clock announcing every hour.—
Sadia Shepard,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blowing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowing%20up. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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