blast

[ blast ]
See synonyms for blast on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a sudden and violent gust of wind: Wintry blasts chilled us to the marrow.

  2. the blowing of a trumpet, whistle, etc.: One blast of the siren was enough to clear the street.

  1. a loud, sudden sound or noise: The radio let out an awful blast before I could turn it off.

  2. a forcible stream of air from the mouth, bellows, or the like.

  3. Machinery.

    • air forced into a furnace by a blower to increase the rate of combustion.

    • a jet of steam directed up a smokestack, as of a steam locomotive, to increase draft.

    • a draft thus increased.

  4. a forceful or explosive throw, hit, etc.: a blast down the third-base line.

  5. Slang.

    • a party or riotously good time: Did we have a blast last night!

    • something that gives great pleasure or enjoyment; thrill; treat: Duck hunting in Australia is a real blast!

  6. a vigorous outburst of criticism; attack.

  7. an electronic message sent simultaneously to a large number of people: an email blast;e-blast advertising;an SMS text blast.

  8. Mining, Civil Engineering. the charge of dynamite or other explosive used at one firing in blasting operations.

  9. the act of exploding; explosion: Some say the blast was in the next county.

  10. any pernicious or destructive influence, especially on animals or plants; a blight.

  11. the sudden death of buds, flowers, or young fruit.

verb (used with object)
  1. to play loudly or make a loud noise on: to blast rock music;to blast a horn.

  2. to cause to shrivel or wither; blight.

  1. to affect with any harmful influence; ruin; wreck: Failure in the exam blasted her hopes for college.It was an indiscretion that blasted his good reputation.

  2. to shatter, break up, or dislodge by or as if by an explosion: Their explosives were inadequate to blast the granite.

  3. to make, form, open up, etc., by blasting: to blast a tunnel through a mountain.

  4. to show to be false, unreliable, etc.; discredit: His facts soundly blasted the new evidence.

  5. Informal. to curse; damn (usually followed by it or an object): Blast it, there's the phone again!Blast the time, we've got to finish this work.

  6. to censure or criticize vigorously; denounce: In his campaign speech he really blasts the other party.

  7. to hit or propel with great force: He blasted a homer that tied the game.They were blasted into outer space.

  8. to shoot: The terrorists blasted him down.

verb (used without object)
  1. to produce a loud, blaring sound: The trumpets blasted as the overture began.His voice blasted until the microphone was turned down.

  2. to shoot: He whipped out his revolver and started blasting.

  1. Slang. to take narcotics.

Verb Phrases
  1. blast off,

    • (of a rocket) to leave a launch pad under its own power.

    • (of an astronaut) to travel aloft in a rocket.

Idioms about blast

  1. at full blast, at maximum capacity; at or with full volume or speed: The factory is going at full blast.: Also full blast.

Origin of blast

1
First recorded before 1000; 1955–60 for def. 7a; Middle English (noun and verb); Old English blǣst (noun) “a blowing”; akin to Old Norse blāstr, Old High German blāst; see blow2

synonym study For blast

1. See wind1.

Other words for blast

Other words from blast

  • blast·er, noun
  • blast·y, adjective
  • blast·i·er, adjective
  • blast·i·est, adjective

Other definitions for -blast (2 of 2)

-blast

  1. a combining form meaning “bud, sprout,” “embryo,” “formative cells or cell layer,” used in the formation of compound words: ectoblast.

Origin of -blast

2
<Greek, combining form of blastós a bud, sprout

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use blast in a sentence

  • Back to the ship—leave the natives for the ship's blasters to kill!

    Space Prison | Tom Godwin
  • In that position neither the forward nor stern blasters of the battleship could touch it.

    Space Prison | Tom Godwin
  • Both had wooden shoulder-stocks, and wooden fore-pieces; they had long tubes extending to the front, and triggers like blasters.

    Flight From Tomorrow | Henry Beam Piper
  • The business about making blasters out of common components wasn't completely imaginary.

    Gambler's World | John Keith Laumer
  • There was equipment: field kits, a minilab, a couple of blasters, each showing full charge.

    Attrition | Jim Wannamaker

British Dictionary definitions for blast (1 of 2)

blast

/ (blɑːst) /


noun
  1. an explosion, as of dynamite

    • the rapid movement of air away from the centre of an explosion, combustion of rocket fuel, etc

    • a wave of overpressure caused by an explosion; shock wave

  1. the charge of explosive used in a single explosion

  2. a sudden strong gust of wind or air

  3. a sudden loud sound, as of a trumpet

  4. a violent verbal outburst, as of criticism

  5. a forcible jet or stream of air, esp one used to intensify the heating effect of a furnace, increase the draught in a steam engine, or break up coal at a coalface

  6. any of several diseases of plants and animals, esp one producing withering in plants

  7. US slang a very enjoyable or thrilling experience: the party was a blast

  8. full blast or at full blast at maximum speed, volume, etc

interjection
  1. slang an exclamation of annoyance (esp in phrases such as blast it! and blast him!)

verb
  1. to destroy or blow up with explosives, shells, etc

  2. to make or cause to make a loud harsh noise

  1. (tr) to remove, open, etc, by an explosion: to blast a hole in a wall

  2. (tr) to ruin; shatter: the rain blasted our plans for a picnic

  3. to wither or cause to wither; blight or be blighted

  4. to criticize severely

  5. to shoot or shoot at: he blasted the hat off her head; he blasted away at the trees

Origin of blast

1
Old English blǣst, related to Old Norse blāstr

Derived forms of blast

  • blaster, noun

British Dictionary definitions for -blast (2 of 2)

-blast

n combining form
  1. (in biology) indicating an embryonic cell or formative layer: mesoblast

Origin of -blast

2
from Greek blastos bud

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with blast

blast

In addition to the idiom beginning with blast

  • blast off

also see:

  • full blast

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.