blowup
Americannoun
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an explosion.
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a violent argument, outburst of temper, or the like, especially one resulting in estrangement.
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Also blow-up an enlargement of a photograph.
Etymology
Origin of blowup
First recorded in 1800–10; noun use of verb phrase blow up
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.
After a big blowup in the summer of 2024 that sent global stocks reeling, the currency-market carry trade has made a big comeback.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
The administration declared the company a U.S. supply-chain risk as a result of the blowup and ordered U.S. agencies to phase out the use of its products.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
One lending blowup is showing how America’s banks helped fuel the private-credit boom, and what could happen in its unraveling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
But by his measure, it’s “only” 1998, when the blowup of Long-Term Capital Management spooked the S&P 500, but the market still had a good distance left to run.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Thankfully my father didn’t hear him, because I wasn’t sure I could take another blowup.
From "All American Boys" 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.
