blockbusting

American  

[blok-buhs-ting] / ˈblɒkˌbʌs tɪŋ /

noun

1. the profiteering real-estate practice of buying homes from white majority homeowners below market value, based on the implied threat of future devaluation during minority integration of previously segregated neighborhoods.

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blockbusting British  

/ ˈblɒkˌbʌstɪŋ /

noun

1. informal the act or practice of inducing the sale of property cheaply by exploiting the owners' fears of lower prices if racial minorities live in the area

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Etymology

Origin of blockbusting

First recorded in 1940–45; block + bust ² + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

"The Disney+ 19th-century bare-knuckle boxing series is blockbusting television in every conceivable sense."

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2025

The reappearance of cocky Navy pilot Capt. Pete Mitchell to movie theaters sent blockbusting shockwaves around the world.

From Washington Times • Nov. 11, 2022

That’s rarely the case before such a blockbusting match.

From The Guardian • Jun. 18, 2021

Filling huge venues and live-streamed to a global audience of millions, these one-hour hype-fests can make all the difference between blockbusting success and ignoble failure.

From The Guardian • Jun. 15, 2017

I reached in where we used to keep milk, pulled one out and it looked bigger than a blockbusting bomb.

From Epistles from Pap: Letters from the man known as 'The Will Rogers of Indiana' by Hay, Douglas (Douglas N.)