blowback
Britishnoun
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the escape to the rear of gases formed during the firing of a weapon or in a boiler, internal-combustion engine, etc
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the action of a light automatic weapon in which the expanding gases of the propellant force back the bolt, thus reloading the weapon
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.
The social media blowback exploded like a digital Montezuma’s revenge.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
That being said, Sekera believes investors still need to keep an eye out for the potential economic blowback from the conflict.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
But the show of strength doesn’t provide much guidance on how much blowback the labor market will experience from the Iran war and the subsequent energy shock and stock market slump.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
Or as the progressive writer Matt Stoller tweeted over the weekend in a thread about the war’s political blowback, “I do not know why people assume Trump will be in office for much longer.”
From Slate • Mar. 23, 2026
He zinged her with that one, and even though it was super petty, all of us were yikes-ing from the blowback.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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.
