blowup

1 of 3

noun

blow·​up ˈblō-ˌəp 

plural blowups

: a blowing up: such as

a

: explosion

b

: an outburst of temper

c

: enlargement sense 2

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

ˈblō-ˌəp 

: 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

: explode

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

Synonyms

Noun

• explosion
• fireworks
• fit
• hissy [chiefly Southern & southern Midland]
• hissy fit
• huff
• scene
• tantrum

Verb

• flare (up)
• flip (out) [slang]

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

The pick is a marked turn from outgoing SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who cracked down on digital assets following a 2022 market rout that unveiled fraudulent practices and resulted in expensive blowups, including the sudden collapse of crypto exchange FTX, followed by crypto lenders Genesis and Celsius. —Kate Gibson, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2024

This trenching, which began after the blowups, is evident in Planet Labs images analyzed by 38North, with piles of dirt and heavy machinery marking unfinished work. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Adjective

Dream opted for a blow-up alien costume, standing with her aunt and cousins in the snap. —Hannah Sacks, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024

But the Jimmy of today, no matter his many remaining issues and the blow-up sure to come, is a different man than back then. —Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2024

Verb

Then there was the extremist militia guys hired by his biological father (Will Patton), which left Beth blown up in her office, Kayce in a gunfight, Monica and Tate fighting off killers and John Dutton left for dead by the side of the road. —Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2024

Only the most interesting people will have their entire lives blown up by their 30s. —Roya Backlund, StyleCaster, 13 Dec. 2024

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

Kids Definition

blowup

1 of 2 noun

blow·​up ˈblō-ˌəp 

1

: explosion sense 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