blockbuster

American  

[blok-buhs-ter] / ˈblɒkˌbʌs tər /

noun

• blockbusters
  plural

1. an aerial bomb containing high explosives and weighing from four to eight tons, used as a large-scale demolition bomb.

2. a motion picture, novel, etc., especially one lavishly produced, that has or is expected to have wide popular appeal or financial success.

3. something or someone that is forcefully or overwhelmingly impressive, effective, or influential.

   The campaign was a blockbuster.

4. a real-estate speculator who practices blockbusting.

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blockbuster British  

/ ˈblɒkˌbʌstə /

noun

1. a large bomb used to demolish extensive areas or strengthened targets

2. a very successful, effective, or forceful person, thing, etc

3. a lavish film, show, novel, etc, that proves to be an outstanding popular success

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• blockbusters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of blockbuster

First recorded in 1940–45; block + buster

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Explanation

A blockbuster is a Hollywood movie that's made with a large budget and big stars. A true blockbuster is extremely popular and brings in a lot of money. Typically, a blockbuster is a fabulous summer movie that audiences line up to see the first weekend it's released. You can also call a successful play or a new, popular video game a blockbuster. Less, often, a huge bomb is a blockbuster — this is the word's original, 1940s meaning, from the fact that such a bomb could destroy an entire city block. The entertainment meaning, from the 1950s, began as theater slang.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blockbuster blockbusters

What we’re left with is a wannabe blockbuster shadowboxing with itself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Instead of AMC and GameStop driving “to the moon” bets, this new era of optimism comes from AI, solid earnings and blockbuster IPOs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

The British actor has already starred opposite Zendaya in The Drama, and played a key role in summer blockbuster The Odyssey.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

But in short order, Cohn’s New York Magazine article was adapted into “Saturday Night Fever,” a blockbuster film and one of the bestselling albums of all time.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

As Chauncey Burr continued a lecture tour west into Cleveland, Ohio, he readied Ruth’s blockbuster confession for release.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

It is hard to say how much to chalk up to AI, rather than longer-running trends like the decline of newspapers, record sales and Hollywood blockbusters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Film fans have had plenty of chances to spot Glasgow on the big screen in recent years, from superhero blockbusters to futuristic sci-fi thrillers.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

But while the festival may lack mass-market blockbusters, there is no shortage of larger-than-life subjects, with films about Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch and the volatile Gallagher brothers from the Britpop band Oasis on the calendar.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Bountiful DVD sales meant most films were profitable, even if they weren’t box office blockbusters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

The conventional bombs of World War II were called blockbusters.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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