blowup

1 of 3

noun

blow·​up ˈblō-ˌəp How to pronounce blowup (audio)
plural blowups
: a blowing up: such as
a
b
: an outburst of temper
d
: a catastrophic financial failure or collapse
Sometime in the next few years, a blowup is likely—one that could sink an already foundering economy.David Henry

blow-up

2 of 3

adjective

: designed to be inflated before use : inflatable
Here on the south coast the unusually warm seas have been filled with the inflatable vessels … : blow-up kayaks, dinghies and paddleboards.Ian Burrell
Sleeping in the car has now gone from rough and ready to the most comfortable outdoor experience—thanks to an ingenious blow-up mattress.Becky Pemberton

blow up

3 of 3

verb

blew up; blown up; blowing up; blows up

transitive verb

1
: to build up or tout to an unreasonable extent
advertisers blowing up their products
2
: to rend apart, shatter, or destroy by explosion
3
: to fill up with a gas (such as air)
blow up a balloon
4
: to make a photographic enlargement of
5
: to bring into existence by blowing of wind
it may blow up a storm
6
: to overwhelm (something, such as a phone) with calls, messages, alerts, etc.
… say your friend is blowing up your phone with … messages while you're supposed to be focusing on something else.Jake Peterson

intransitive verb

1
a
b
: to be disrupted or destroyed (as by explosion)
c
: to lose self-control
especially : to become violently angry
2
: to become or come into being by or as if by blowing of wind
3
a
: to become filled with a gas
b
: to become expanded to unreasonable proportions
c
: to gain a large amount of weight
In the ensuing two years Gibson blew up to more than 400 pounds as he ate an over-abundance of fast foods …Tim Crothers
4
: to suddenly become very successful, prevalent, or popular
Latin-tinged pop is blowing up because it fits the musical times: …Christopher John Farley

Examples of blowup in a Sentence

Noun The blowup of the photograph was easy to frame. The two of them had a big blowup about something trivial. The coach's latest blowup occurred when one of his players arrived late. Verb she blew up at everybody after a very long and very bad day the building blew up because of a gas leak
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Industry execs thought the blowup could have positive long-term effects. Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024 Next, Israel and the United States should better coordinate their monitoring of Iran’s compliance, which could help prevent an unintended blowup of the deal, for which either country could be blamed. Natan Sachs, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2015
Adjective
Pictured in front of a blow-up target and holding a blow-up axe, Hudson can be seen getting ready to throw as his proud dad snaps his photo. Hannah Sacks, People.com, 10 Oct. 2024 Add larger-than-life characters, such as blow-up lawn figures or set up a maze from the curb to your treat distribution point. Nafeesah Allen, Parents, 30 Sep. 2024
Verb
Unfortunately because this play blew up on the Bears, everything is fair game. Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2024 Free Daily and Monthly Horoscopes Read the full Scorpio Daily Horoscope Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) Wanting to blow up your routine? USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for blowup 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blowup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1757, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1850, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1538, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blowup was circa 1538

Dictionary Entries Near blowup

Cite this Entry

“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blowup. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

blowup

1 of 2 noun
blow·​up ˈblō-ˌəp How to pronounce blowup (audio)
1
2
: an outburst of bad temper
3
: a photographic enlargement

blow up

2 of 2 verb
ˈblō-ˈəp
1
: to expand or become expanded to extraordinary size
2
: to fill up or become filled with a gas and especially air
blow up a balloon
3
: to make an enlargement of
blow up a photograph
4
a
: to destroy or become destroyed by explosion
b
: to become violently angry
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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