blockbuster

[ blok-buhs-ter ]

/ ˈblɒkˌbʌs tər /

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See synonyms for blockbuster on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

something or someone that is forcefully or overwhelmingly impressive, effective, or influential: The campaign was a blockbuster.

a real-estate speculator who practices blockbusting.

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Origin of blockbuster

First recorded in 1940–45; block + buster

Words nearby blockbuster

block and tackle, block association, blockboard, block booking, blockbust, blockbuster, blockbusting, block capital, block caving, blockchain, block chord

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use blockbuster in a sentence

The carousel is already spinning in a peculiar new way, the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams having set the tone for a wild market with their blockbuster swap of Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff.
The NFL’s top QBs are waking up to their power, following Tom Brady and LeBron James|Jerry Brewer|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
The NFL’s quarterback shuffling has begun, and the first blockbuster trade of the offseason is in place.
Lions agree to trade Matthew Stafford to Rams for Jared Goff, draft picks|Mark Maske|January 31, 2021|Washington Post
Unless people miss audience members talking or eating loudly during a movie, it’s hard to see viewers reverting en masse to movie houses—with the likely exception of seeing blockbuster movies that demand the big screen.
From pet adoptions to D.I.Y. home improvement to sweatpants: 10 COVID-fueled consumer trends that will endure|Phil Wahba|December 20, 2020|Fortune
That mild air foiled any chance of a blockbuster snowstorm of the likes seen in northern Pennsylvania, south central New York and Vermont, where more than 40 inches fell in a few locations.
Here’s how much snow and ice fell in D.C. region from Wednesday’s winter storm|Jason Samenow|December 17, 2020|Washington Post

Overall, mortgage rates remain very low and are unlikely to shift unless a blockbuster spending package is passed before the end of the year.
Fixed mortgage rates tumble to lowest levels in history|Kathy Orton|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
The 2012 miniseries he co-starred in, Hatfields McCoys, was a ratings blockbuster for the History channel.
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More|Kevin Fallon|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not only, in the rarest of cases, where there a female lead in a blockbuster action movie, but the damsel in distress was a dude.
Team Peeta or Team Gale: Why the ‘Hunger Games’ Love Triangle Ruins ‘Mockingjay – Part 1’|Kevin Fallon|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cast Angelina Jolie in that role with Brad Pitt as the cave hubbie, and maybe we have a blockbuster in the making.
Can Tarzan of the Apes Survive in a Post-Colonial World?|Ted Gioia|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Such standout performances have been rare: her big-screen blockbuster salvo, Batman Begins (2005), fizzled to nothing.
How Can Katie Holmes Escape Tom Cruise—and ‘Dawson’s Creek’?|Tim Teeman|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On no other show would you see an A-list actor from a newly released blockbuster like Gone Girl getting fired up over Islam.
Bill Maher: Yes, I Can Generalize About Muslims|Marlow Stern|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We used to think that the B-17 was a huge plane, and the blockbuster it carried a huge load.
State of the Union Addresses of Harry S. Truman|Harry S. Truman
Our own blockbuster should get there before they fire again.
The Secret of the Ninth Planet|Donald Allen Wollheim

British Dictionary definitions for blockbuster

blockbuster

/ (ˈblɒkˌbʌstə) /

noun informal

a large bomb used to demolish extensive areas or strengthened targets

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

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

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

blockbuster

Origin of blockbuster

Words nearby blockbuster

Words related to blockbuster

How to use blockbuster in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for blockbuster