blowout
Americannoun
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a sudden bursting or rupture of an automobile tire.
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a sudden or violent escape of air, steam, or the like.
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a hollow formed in a region of shifting sands or light soil by the action of the wind.
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an uncontrollable escape of oil, gas, or water from a well.
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a service at a hair salon in which the hair is blow-dried and styled.
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Aeronautics. flame-out.
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Slang. a lavish party or entertainment.
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Slang. a decisive victory or defeat.
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blowout sale. Slang. a sale featuring very large discounts.
Etymology
Origin of blowout
First recorded in 1815–25; noun use of verb phrase blow out
Explanation
When something stops working or breaks down, you can call it a blowout. The blowout of a city's electrical system can be a particularly big problem. A blowout most often involves air or gas pressure — a blowout when you're driving on the highway is a popped tire. You can also use the word to mean a really easy victory in sports, like your favorite football team's blowout victory over its rival. Yet another meaning of blowout is a fabulous party: "Let's have a blowout to celebrate your twenty-first birthday!" The original, colloquial American meaning of blowout was "outburst," or what might today be called a "blow up."
Vocabulary lists containing blowout
Super Bowl Blowout: Epic Vocab for the Big Game
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American Football, 4th Quarter
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American Football, 3rd Quarter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His 80,000-head operation—powered by a $50 million loan from an agricultural bank and $120 million from investors—appeared to be a blowout success for the former chemicals plant worker.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
The same year, a blowout began at the Aliso Canyon SoCalGas natural gas storage well near Porter Ranch.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
A lone goal came in the 11th minute from Italy midfielder Giuseppe Giannini, and the blowout did not follow.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
More fundamentally, all the markets are looking ahead to tighter money, especially after another blowout jobs report this past Friday.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
My parents corner me in a hug that mimics the one at Aaron’s blowout party, when we were confirming that our futures were bright.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
