blast wave
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of blast wave
First recorded in 1935–40
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.
Another idea suggests the brightness spikes occur when the blast wave from the explosion slams into dense shells of gas surrounding the star.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026
A blast wave is said to have damaged a plastered cornice on the eastern façade but not affected the interior.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2025
The governor of the neighboring Mykolaiv region said falling debris caused a fire in an unused building in the Snihurivka community, which was promptly extinguished, and a blast wave damaged nearby buildings.
From Reuters ● Sep. 18, 2023
“I felt the blast wave on my cheeks, and it knocked off my hat.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 16, 2022
Striking the Earth’s atmosphere, a modest cometary fragment would produce a great radiant fireball and a mighty blast wave, which would burn trees, level forests and be heard around the world.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
