blockbuster
Americannoun
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an aerial bomb containing high explosives and weighing from four to eight tons, used as a large-scale demolition bomb.
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a motion picture, novel, etc., especially one lavishly produced, that has or is expected to have wide popular appeal or financial success.
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something or someone that is forcefully or overwhelmingly impressive, effective, or influential.
The campaign was a blockbuster.
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a real-estate speculator who practices blockbusting.
noun
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a large bomb used to demolish extensive areas or strengthened targets
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a very successful, effective, or forceful person, thing, etc
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a lavish film, show, novel, etc, that proves to be an outstanding popular success
Etymology
Origin of blockbuster
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.
Vocabulary lists containing blockbuster
And the Oscar Goes to... Award-worthy Words
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Academy Awards, List 4
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This Week in Words: Current Event Vocabulary for November 4–November 10, 2023
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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 remarks came after Nvidia last week posted record quarterly revenue of $81.6 billion, blowing past Wall Street forecasts as insatiable demand for its AI hardware powered another blockbuster quarter.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
Putellas, who has just lifted the Champions League trophy, is also the blockbuster name billionaire owner Michele Kang craves.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Rival studios largely stayed on the sidelines, with no other potential blockbuster debuting at the same time.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026
“We believe the platform would be extraordinarily difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to replicate, particularly as blockbuster filmmaking becomes increasingly optimized around premium formats and immersive theatrical experiences,” he added.
From MarketWatch • May 22, 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
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.
