1
as in angered
to become very angry
she blew up at everybody after a very long and very bad day
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exploded
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 shattered
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 cracked 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
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Recent Examples of blew up
When the story broke in the media a few weeks after production shut down, Ansari’s phone blew up.
—
Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
In 1983, a Hezbollah operative blew up 241 American soldiers and Marines in their barracks next to Beirut International Airport.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Roberts was originally content with being an indie author, but readers’ love of the book blew up.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Accurso has become something of a quintessential figure in children's media since her YouTube videos blew up in 2020, partnering with Netflix for her television special inspired by her content and with Spin Master for a toy line in recent years.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Still, Sony might be feeling some serious FOMO after seeing just how much this film blew up.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2025
In late August, Katrina blew up in the Gulf of Mexico, quickly reaching category 5 status with 175 mile-per-hour winds and pushing a massive storm surge.
—Marisa Peñaloza, NPR, 24 Aug. 2025
Heikki Kovalainen of Finland and Caterham stands beside his car after its engine blew up in the tunnel during practice for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix at the Monte Carlo Circuit on May 24, 2012 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
One of those blew up on its landing attempt while another was purposefully expended to get its payload to a higher orbital insertion.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
In 1983, a Hezbollah operative blew up 241 American soldiers and Marines in their barracks next to Beirut International Airport.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Roberts was originally content with being an indie author, but readers’ love of the book blew up.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Accurso has become something of a quintessential figure in children's media since her YouTube videos blew up in 2020, partnering with Netflix for her television special inspired by her content and with Spin Master for a toy line in recent years.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Still, Sony might be feeling some serious FOMO after seeing just how much this film blew up.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2025
In late August, Katrina blew up in the Gulf of Mexico, quickly reaching category 5 status with 175 mile-per-hour winds and pushing a massive storm surge.
—Marisa Peñaloza, NPR, 24 Aug. 2025
Heikki Kovalainen of Finland and Caterham stands beside his car after its engine blew up in the tunnel during practice for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix at the Monte Carlo Circuit on May 24, 2012 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
One of those blew up on its landing attempt while another was purposefully expended to get its payload to a higher orbital insertion.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blew up
Verb
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Robert Bianco, a longtime TV critic for USA Today, emphasized how strongly Levin supported him even when Bianco’s reviews angered Levin’s sources.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
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Platner also worked as a contractor for Constellis, a successor to the security company Blackwater, which has angered some online activists.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The streets of Boise exploded in a burst of color and music on Sunday as the Boise Pride Parade swept down River Street.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Sep. 2025
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As large language models like OpenAI’s GPT-3 and GPT-4 exploded onto the scene, students and teaching assistants alike began questioning whether assessments ought to be handled differently.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the aftermath, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko recorded a video message from the building’s shattered upper floors.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Photos of the aftermath showed the front windshield on the roof of the bus shattered and nearly flattened.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Are wealth and success all they're cracked up to be?—
Jessica Wang,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In September 2024, Israel blew up the group’s pagers, causing gruesome injuries as the devices detonated in Hezbollah operatives’ pockets.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
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An Israeli air force official said that for the first time, a Houthi missile contained a number of sub-munitions, which were intended to be detonated upon impact.—
Eyad Kourdi,
CNN Money,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In a new paper, researchers report that sPHENIX measured both the number and energy of particles produced when gold ions smashed together at nearly light speed.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
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For twenty years, the rage-fuelled God Kratos has smashed his way across our screens.—
Joshua Lamb,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Netflix announced in July that the series is ending following its forthcoming 10th season.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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The Life of a Showgirl (TLOAS) was announced to great excitement across social media in late August.—
Toni Fitzgerald,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Christmas Eve travel was briefly snarled as the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all American Airlines flights Tuesday.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC News,
25 Dec. 2024
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Earlier this year, UnitedHealthcare suffered a massive ransomware attack, which leaked info on over 100 million people and snarled healthcare for weeks despite a $22 million payment to the attackers.—
Wes Davis,
The Verge,
4 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Blew up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blew%20up. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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