BLOWING UP Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

blowing up

verb

present participle of blow up

as in flaring (up)

to become very angry she blew up at everybody after a very long and very bad day

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as in exploding

to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure the building blew up because of a gas leak

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as in shattering

to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive blew up the biggest rocks and then cleared them away

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as in cracking up

to praise or publicize lavishly and often excessively the advertisement blows the new soda up to the point where I half expected to be transported to a higher level of consciousness

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of blowing up Navarrette is blowing up right now. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 17 June 2026 SpaceX has been blowing up Starship rockets left and right, and the space nerds seem to be cheering them on. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026 Now, the Swedish flatpack giant believes its long-elusive obsession is, at long last, blowing up. — Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 14 May 2026 Within hours the WhatsApp group to organize the female founders was blowing up with critiques. — Lisa Curtis, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Ripley was honored for a heroic effort to halt the advance of North Vietnamese forces by blowing up a crucial bridge in 1972. — Arkansas Online, 20 June 2026 Ripley was honored for a heroic effort to halt the advance of North Vietnamese forces by blowing up a crucial bridge in 1972. — ABC News, 18 June 2026 At the time, teen powerhouses like Aaliyah, Brandy, and Monica were blowing up the charts and Interscope was hoping Mýa could be their own proverbial cash cow. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 18 May 2026 About to hit rock bottom, Peter is therefore oblivious to the +44 numbers that are blowing up his phone, until the caller — a British clubber called Edison (the fantastic Kirby Howell-Baptiste) — arrives on his doorstep. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowing up

Verb

Lane closures remained in effect, snarling traffic for several miles as rush hour intensified.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
The incident shut down the busy interstate for hours, snarling traffic during teh evening commute.

— Riley Rourke, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Definition of snarling

Verb

Flashes from exploding drones and missiles lit up the night, and loud booms echoed through Kyiv.

— Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
As SkyCal flew towards Huntington Park, dozens of rounds of fireworks were seen exploding over parts of Los Angeles, just minutes after the whistles blew in Estadio Azteca, surpassing the Round of 32 for the first time since 2018.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Definition of exploding

Verb

SoCal’s housing market growth SpaceX’s record-shattering IPO has unleashed a wave of high-end home shoppers poised to reshape Southern California’s already tight coastal housing markets.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
At the very least, the attacks have brought the war home even more poignantly for millions of Russians, shattering Putin’s narrative of the conflict as something that doesn’t affect the lives of ordinary people in his country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026

Definition of shattering

Verb

Mark Toothaker, a stallion sales manager for Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, was on the couch cracking up with his wife, Malory, about the whiffed field goal and consequential turnover.

— Kelly O'Grady, CBS News, 3 May 2026
The dogs were confused, not sure whether to attack or run for cover, and Susan was cracking up.

— Sid Evans, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2026

Definition of cracking up

Verb

Israel for years avoided officially recognizing the violence as genocide out fear of angering Turkey, but that relationship has soured over the past two decades, especially as the most recent wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have dragged on.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
For years, Israel never officially broached the subject for fear of angering Turkey, but that relationship has soured over the past two decades, especially as the most recent wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have dragged on.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 June 2026

Definition of angering

Verb

In one video a drone runs into protective netting at least 50 feet above the target and detonating prematurely.

— David Hambling, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Investigators found that Aliji intended to drive a Volkswagen Beetle equipped with fake police sirens and flashing blue lights toward crowds outside the venue before detonating explosives concealed inside a Red Bull can.

— Bryan West, USA Today, 28 May 2026

Definition of detonating

Verb

Djokovic became so frustrated that he was given a code violation warning for smashing a racket, before eventually hauling himself over the line.

— Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 July 2026
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan joined in the fun Friday, serving and smashing with a paddle in a San Jose Earthquakes jersey.

— Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 4 July 2026

Definition of smashing

Verb

On Friday night, after the couple tied the knot, a brief release went out — with no photos — announcing Dior Couture by Jonathan Anderson as the choice for both Swift and Kelce.

— Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2026
Fujimori thanked her supporters in a post on X announcing the conclusion of the election.

— Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026