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
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
To keep her family at bay, Alexandra barricades herself in her Brooklyn brownstone with enough Molotov cocktails to blow up the whole block.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 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
Daniel Chong, 104 minutes Pixar’s latest family-friendly charmer depicts a land war — over a patch of earth that was once occupied by beavers and other wildlife and that human developers are eager to blow up for a highway.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
To keep her family at bay, Alexandra barricades herself in her Brooklyn brownstone with enough Molotov cocktails to blow up the whole block.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for blowup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowup
Noun
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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
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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
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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
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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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Starmer’s comments risk angering many within his party, who will take issue with his linking of antisemitism with pro-Palestinian activism.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
2 May 2026
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Those plans angered victims' families, and some prominent state officials called for regulators to deny or delay renewal of the camp's license, which had been under review by the Texas Department of State Health Services.—
Briauna Brown,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That bridge has been burned, detonated, destroyed, nuked, lasered to death.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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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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The Bears smashed 3 home runs in the game with Avery Welch getting things started with a 2-run shot in the bottom of the first after a 1-out walk to Haylie Jimenez.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 May 2026
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Lopez, who smashed 15 homers last season, nearly had his fourth of the season on Friday.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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Among agonized grunts and huffs, Probst narrated the fumbles.—
Sarah Grant,
New Yorker,
2 Feb. 2026
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David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Quick hits • Orlando Science Center hosts Mess Fest, which splatters knowledge and physics with paint, foam explosions and more.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
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Explosion of leftover bombs killed 14 in Iran An explosion of leftover bombs from strikes during the war against Iran killed 14 Revolutionary Guard members, IRNA and other Iranian media reported Friday.—
Toqa Ezzidin,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowup. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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