blowup
an explosion.
a violent argument, outburst of temper, or the like, especially one resulting in estrangement.
Also blow-up . an enlargement of a photograph.
Origin of blowup
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use blowup in a sentence
And he was indicted in Israel last week on charges he plotted to blow up sites holy to Islam.
The Strange Case of the Christian Zionist Terrorist | Creede Newton | December 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“The investigation started with ‘Adam vs. Arabs,’ that he wanted to blow up everything that was important to them,” said Wolf.
The Strange Case of the Christian Zionist Terrorist | Creede Newton | December 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMOSCOW — The capital of Chechnya, Grozny, seemed to blow up around 1:00 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Fierce Fighting in Grozny Raises Specter of ISIS Influence in Russia | Anna Nemtsova | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“The fact the engine did not blow up does not mean it is not the cause of the accident,” he told the Daily Beast.
Can Richard Branson Bounce Back From His Space Disaster? | Tom Sykes | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd the solid rocket propellant would not blow up in one explosion since it cannot do that without an oxidizer.
Clues From SpaceShipTwo’s Wreckage: Did the Crew Compartment Fail? | Clive Irving | November 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Says positively must make trip to Bend & get cigarettes tomorrow or will blow up whole outfit.
Cabin Fever | B. M. BowerJose sternly declined, and when Young Glory threatened to blow up the boats, he told him to do so.
Young Glory and the Spanish Cruiser | Walter Fenton MottI grant you he wanted to blow up the 'Ouses of Parliament; but, if there was licensing bills in those days, I don't blame him.
The next morning, when they awoke, they found that the wind had altered and was beginning to blow up from the southward.
The Rival Campers | Ruel Perley SmithWhat Bushnell did was to invent a boat that would move under water and might be made to blow up an enemy's ship.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | Various
British Dictionary definitions for blow up
to explode or cause to explode
(tr) to increase the importance of (something): they blew the whole affair up
(intr) to come into consideration: we lived well enough before this thing blew up
(intr) to come into existence with sudden force: a storm had blown up
informal to lose one's temper (with a person)
(tr) informal to reprimand (someone)
(tr) informal to enlarge the size or detail of (a photograph)
an explosion
informal an enlarged photograph or part of a photograph
informal a fit of temper or argument
Also called: blowing up informal a reprimand
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with blowup
Explode or cause to explode. For example, The squadron was told to blow up the bridge, or Jim was afraid his experiment would blow up the lab. The term is sometimes amplified, as in blow up in one's face. [Late 1500s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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