blown-up
Americanadjective
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(of a picture, photograph, image, etc.) enlarged.
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damaged or destroyed by demolition, explosion, etc..
blown-up bridges.
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(of a ball, balloon, etc.) inflated.
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overexpanded; unduly large.
a blown-up sense of importance.
Etymology
Origin of blown-up
First recorded in 1860–65
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.
“You’ve blown up a lot of things that have to be redrilled. They’ve shut in wells, different things,” he said, referring to fallout from the Iran war.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
But you got to train people to be able to learn how to learn again and again when their disciplines get blown up.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
"It's blown up because it's a discussion about the cost of everything, the overall frustration that people have," he said.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
But what sets today's brands apart is that they've blown up in the age of TikTok.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
There was no one at home to explain the fearsome racket, but she satisfied herself that the iron cook stove had not blown up, and returned to her sweltering bedroom to continue reading and copying.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
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.
