blowout
Americannoun
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a sudden bursting or rupture of an automobile tire.
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a sudden or violent escape of air, steam, or the like.
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a hollow formed in a region of shifting sands or light soil by the action of the wind.
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an uncontrollable escape of oil, gas, or water from a well.
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a service at a hair salon in which the hair is blow-dried and styled.
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Aeronautics. flame-out.
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Slang. a lavish party or entertainment.
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Slang. a decisive victory or defeat.
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blowout sale. Slang. a sale featuring very large discounts.
Etymology
Origin of blowout
First recorded in 1815–25; noun use of verb phrase blow out
Explanation
When something stops working or breaks down, you can call it a blowout. The blowout of a city's electrical system can be a particularly big problem. A blowout most often involves air or gas pressure — a blowout when you're driving on the highway is a popped tire. You can also use the word to mean a really easy victory in sports, like your favorite football team's blowout victory over its rival. Yet another meaning of blowout is a fabulous party: "Let's have a blowout to celebrate your twenty-first birthday!" The original, colloquial American meaning of blowout was "outburst," or what might today be called a "blow up."
Vocabulary lists containing blowout
Super Bowl Blowout: Epic Vocab for the Big Game
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American Football, 4th Quarter
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American Football, 3rd Quarter
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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.
With LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out with injuries, the Lakers lose in a 123-87 blowout to the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
With one last blowout, Michigan showed the way of college basketball’s future.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
But don’t mistake the perfect blowout and dewy skin for softness.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Each player was injured in the first half of a blowout loss on Thursday to Oklahoma City but returned to play in the second half.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
The next morning, just as Seabiscuit stepped on the track for his final blowout, it began to rain.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
