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

But given the SFA's scheme is stopping just as the first cohort are in their mid-20s, it's hardly blockbusting figures.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

"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

The game was only a moderate success until its blockbusting US launch the following October.

From The Guardian • May 22, 2020

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.)