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 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 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

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

Prosecutors said the fire smoldered underground for a week before exploding into the deadly Palisades fire.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Even at a time when golf is exploding in popularity, and greens fees are rising at the same rate, getting in a round at East Potomac is an inclusive experience.

— Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of exploding

Verb

Not since the Tesla Cybertruck made its glass-shattering debut in 2019 has a vehicle’s unveiling proven as polarizing as the Luce event.

— Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2026
The move came after a fireball erupted at this past New Year’s event, shattering windows and injuring a child in downtown Boise.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 21 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

Raising taxes and reducing government spending are part of a potential solution, but those would be politically unpopular decisions that could risk further angering an already livid public.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
South Korea has accused Ukraine of violating a nondisclosure agreement, but Ukraine denies the countries reached such a deal, further angering Seoul.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 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

Protests last week devolved into mayhem, with people setting fires, storming public buildings, smashing shop windows, looting and clashing with police.

— ELITSA GADEVA, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
This was the 36th launch and landing for B1063, which notably launched NASA's DART asteroid-smashing mission in November 2021.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of smashing

Verb

As Hinojosa gained in the polls this summer, Abbott reversed his position on data centers, announcing a moratorium on new developments and an audit on the use of water and energy.

— Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
In her new role, Danielle will help celebrate her aunt's life and accomplishments while offering a personal perspective on the woman behind the music, according to a press release announcing the appointment.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026