1
as in scene
an outburst or display of excited anger
the boss had another blowup when someone fouled up the copy machine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to anger
to become very angry
she blew up at everybody after a very long and very bad day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to detonate
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 to smash
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 to crack 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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of blowup
Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
The pinball blowup occurred at a moment when trans people face an increasingly hostile environment in the United States, particularly in sports.
—Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026
Robin Romm, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026
The best reality shows—every Bravo franchise, The Kardashians, Dance Moms—are anthropological studies with campy one-liners, life blown up to exaggerated proportions.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for blowup
Noun
Having an enormous blowup has never kept Taylor and Dakota from hooking up before.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
The pinball blowup occurred at a moment when trans people face an increasingly hostile environment in the United States, particularly in sports.
—Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
At least the whale wouldn’t be blown up with half a ton of dynamite, like the sperm whale that had beached more than half a century earlier, just 30 miles south of Yachats.
—Robin Romm, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026
The best reality shows—every Bravo franchise, The Kardashians, Dance Moms—are anthropological studies with campy one-liners, life blown up to exaggerated proportions.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for blowup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowup
Noun
-
The scene mirrored a Minnesota Timberwolves game from earlier this year, where the NBA franchise attempted a similar moment of silence for Renee Good.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
The Fort Worth Fire Department and officers arrived on scene to provide medical aid.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
The remaining 17 climbers managed to return to their base camp after the eruption and reported their friends missing to the authorities, per CNA.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
-
Both agencies agree there is a chance for additional M flares and maybe even X-class eruptions over the coming days as sunspot regions AR4436 and AR4432 continue to evolve.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Starmer also has angered supporters with attempts to cut welfare spending, some of which were reversed after Labour revolts.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
-
Buyers were angered after finding out that the new features would be released later than expected, the filing said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Robots were used to recover and detonate some of the remaining explosive devices, police said.—
Faris Tanyos,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
-
The posture changed dramatically in 1995 when Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb next to a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 167 people.—
Neil Flanagan,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
High-rise timber construction continues to grow in popularity worldwide, with Australia's incredible Atlassian Central wooden skyscraper due to smash all records once completed.—
Adam Williams
May 09,
New Atlas,
9 May 2026
-
By that evening, TV news stations broadcasted images of the bus smashed into the ground, leaving little room to imagine how those trapped inside could have possibly escaped.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Wondering if the talk about using eggshells in your garden is all it's cracked up to be?—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Among agonized grunts and huffs, Probst narrated the fumbles.—
Sarah Grant,
New Yorker,
2 Feb. 2026
-
David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In 1985, an explosion in the basement of a Ross department store—caused by an unventilated buildup of methane gas underneath the store—razed several city blocks and injured twenty-three people.—
Oren Peleg,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
In 1992, a buildup of methane gas and coal dust triggered a massive explosion in the Westray Mine in Nova Scotia, Canada, killing 26 coal miners.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowup. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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