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
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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
Terry Terrones, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
Kimberly Shaw blowing up the apartment building at the end of season 4 is a core memory for fans.
—Andrea Lavinthal, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 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
Then it kind of got all blown up anyway.
—Terry Terrones, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
Kimberly Shaw blowing up the apartment building at the end of season 4 is a core memory for fans.
—Andrea Lavinthal, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for blowup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowup
Noun
-
The Penguins, according to their coach, have been doing this all season, both behind the scenes and in full view.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Police recovered a knife at the scene and took two people of interest into custody, authorities said.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The eruptions – yours, the partner’s – suggest that there’s a lot that’s been simmering underneath your interactions.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The eruptions — yours, the partner’s — suggest that there’s a lot that’s been simmering underneath your interactions.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Imagine the type of conviction Jon-Eric Sullivan must have in Kadyn Proctor to have his first-round selection disappoint, if not anger most of his South Florida fan base?—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Trump faces record-low approval ratings, while Washington’s war on Iran, which has sent US gasoline prices spiking, has further angered voters.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That bridge has been burned, detonated, destroyed, nuked, lasered to death.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The bomb detonated at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving, becoming the deadliest extremist attack in the United Kingdom in recent years.—
Philipp Jenne,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But as anyone who’s dropped a mug knows, ceramics are also brittle and prone to smashing.—
Caitlin Kennedy,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Police said three men wearing masks and all black clothing entered the open business and allegedly used a hammer to smash out several glass panels.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sunny got her famous father to crack up during her cameo on a Brooklyn, New York, taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live!—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Grace’s life starts to crack up and fall apart, and that is, of course, part of the adventure of being young and irresponsible.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
12 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
-
After a faulty cooling system was left to disrepair, rising temperatures resulted in an explosion with the equivalent force of 70-100 tons of TNT.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
To locals, Soviet leaders seemed to be downplaying the severity of the explosion.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowup. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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