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 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 The protests are quickly blowing up as a hot topic in the election campaign to replace President Emmanuel Macron next May. — Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 That was something they were primed to be paying attention to, since Mora had been seen blowing up at Summers the week prior, when CSU was busy giving up 59 points to UTSA. — Jason Kirk, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 The Real Cost Of Handover The Build-Operate-Transfer model is still a brilliant, highly effective way to build global capability without blowing up your balance sheet. — Thanh Pham, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026 On September 7 two other mathematicians used their program (and AI) to produce a blowup for a frictionless fluid—considered a major step toward blowing up Navier-Stokes. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026 Your originality can solve the tension without blowing up the plan. — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowing up

Verb

Kerry McCoy’s guitar juices up a mid-song gallop by abruptly pivoting from big and noisy to compressed and snarling; at the climax, everything cuts out for a second to spotlight a Daniel Tracy drum fill.

— Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
Stepping into the band’s lead guitarist role was Nick Johnston, a forceful presence delivering crisp musical phrases that could be fittingly elegant or snarling.

— Steve Appleford, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of snarling

Verb

Carousel music mixed with the thunderous roar of roller coaster carts exploding through dizzying loops and heart-stopping drops.

— Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
The team that finished 24th in the league in runs scored, exploding for seven runs in game one of the ALCS against one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of exploding

Verb

You’re always getting blindsided by massive, earth-shattering events.

— Adam B. Vary, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
The only trace left of a content shoot earlier in the day is a smidge of smokey eye makeup, while a pair of black, ankle-shattering Jimmy Choo stilettos have been replaced with khaki trainers.

— Sophie Williams, Billboard, 14 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

The widespread use of arrests, tear gas and riot-control weapons against teenagers is fueling defiance and angering some parents and teachers.

— NICOLAS GARRIGA, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Spain is hard-hit due to small rental market The housing crunch has been simmering for years in Spain, eating into household budgets and angering voters.

— Joseph Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of angering

Verb

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
Jentleson compares the power of fusing race and these questions of fairness to detonating a nuclear warhead.

— Isaac Arnsdorf, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of detonating

Verb

Holt had been smashing the glass of a jewelry kiosk stand with a blunt object, police said.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
Perhaps the squad took his ball-respecting mantra to its logical extreme, seemingly reluctant to sully it by smashing it into the net, with Chelsea recording the biggest xG underperformance in the Premier League during his brief tenure.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of smashing

Verb

Trump blindsided Zelenskyy last weekend by announcing that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
The Eagles released a statement Thursday about the medical condition of their quarterback in announcing his looming absence, saying Hurts had been receiving treatment for nearly a week and even flew to and from London with it.

— Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026