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

Etymology

Origin of blockbuster

First recorded in 1940–45; block + buster

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

China memory-chip maker ChangXin Technology Group surged more than five times from its initial public offering price in a blockbuster debut in Shanghai.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

One more knockdown, one astonishing comeback and a second-round knockout later, the blockbuster bout was revived.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster, "The Odyssey," retained the top spot at the North American box office in its second week, taking in an additional $87 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

Tech scion David Ellison for months projected confidence that his blockbuster Hollywood merger was on a glide path to completion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

Imagine a blockbuster movie about a world united in battle against Nazi oppression.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

And even though he starred in one of Hollywood’s hugest blockbusters, it takes a certain kind of confidence to share the spotlight with a dinosaur.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

The legal challenge focuses on three main areas: major cinema releases, massive blockbusters, and cable TV channels.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

What’s Next: Citi Research analyst Geoff Meacham says Lilly’s portfolio of GLP-1 medications isn’t built around singular blockbusters.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

Summer is a season of Bs: beaches, barbecues, baseball—and blockbusters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

His romantic novels such as The Last of the Mohicans were literary blockbusters.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock