blowup

1 of 3

noun

blow·​up ˈblō-ˌəp How to pronounce blowup (audio)
plural blowups
: a blowing up: such as
a
b
: an outburst of temper
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

: 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
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

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
Kansas City's ability to work through blowups, penalties and turnovers This Chiefs team, arguably the least talented in the Reid-Mahomes era (at least on offense), faced trials throughout the regular season. Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 Blinded by Beacon Facebook's first big privacy blowup entailed a service called Beacon, which the platform launched in 2007. TIME, 2 Feb. 2024 In the months following the blowup, the couple was spotted together several times. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024 Following the 2016 blowup, months of tense negotiations between the two parties to try to resuscitate the business arrangement failed. Indrani Sen, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024 And gone altogether is a giant blowup of Hitler where some visitors were caught on security cameras giving the Nazi salute. Ralph Blumenthal, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024 The blowup comes amid a bigger battle over whether colleges can consider race in admissions, administrative appointments and general efforts to diversify their campuses. Susan Svrluga, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023 Although the cryptocurrency industry remains shadowed by recent blowups and controversy, the world's most important token — bitcoin — is making a comeback. Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 4 Dec. 2023 Some blowups, however, had more to do with being considerate of each other. Marisa Kashino, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Munn could be seen posing with her son next to a blue blow-up birthday balloon while standing in front of a set table. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 Kim posted footage from the bash at the time as her backyard was transformed into a soccer player paradise, with blow-up bounce houses goal-scoring setups for guests. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 In one of the most surprisingly real moments of Netflix's series to date, their relationship ended without the pomp and circumstance of a finale wedding, or massive blow-up argument. Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024 Speaking of focusing on the future…dwelling on the blow-up that already happened won’t change a thing. Jenna Ryu, SELF, 4 Jan. 2024 Inflatable footrests can be placed in front of a seat to create a balloon of support, much like a blow-up pillow or mattress. Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2024 Amy finally realized how serious her mental health issues were after a massive blow-up between herself and her sisters Amanda and Tammy during a trip to Florida over the summer. Eileen Finan, Peoplemag, 17 Dec. 2023 Despite being a blow-up, it’s designed to last with double-layer, thickened PVC construction and a leakproof seamless bonding technique. Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 12 Dec. 2023 The reality star's backyard was transformed into a soccer player paradise, where Saint and his friends ran around in the sunshine, played in several blow-up bounce houses and worked on their soccer skills in several setups that challenged their kicking and goal-scoring abilities. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 10 Dec. 2023
Verb
Sure, his rapper Saigon almost blew up, but even with his own gig, Turtle will always be our Best Supporting Slacker. Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 But that relationship blew up publicly last week when Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and two of its executives, CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman, accusing them of violating those founding principles by putting profits over humanity. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024 Olivia Colman, ‘The Favourite’ (2019) Director Yorgos Lanthimos blew up the stuffy period piece with this gonzo 18th-century comedy. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 That news blew up again in the past couple of days after a Missouri lawmaker introduced a bill to change the law. The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 Pink absolutely blew up, but lately, homeowners are pivoting away from this hue. Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Mar. 2024 Wind gusts could blow up to 40 mph by Sunday, according to the service’s office in Amarillo, Texas. Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 That’s the most Jody response — don’t blow up your life, but just start somewhere. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 1 Mar. 2024 Earlier this month, the internet blew up when images of a black George Washington and racially diverse WWII soldiers fighting in Hitler’s Aryan Nazi army went viral. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blowup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of blowup was circa 1538

Dictionary Entries Near blowup

Cite this Entry

“Blowup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blowup. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blowup

1 of 2 noun
blow·​up ˈblō-ˌəp How to pronounce blowup (audio)
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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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