blowups

noun

plural of blowup
1
as in scenes
an outburst or display of excited anger the boss had another blowup when someone fouled up the copy machine

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in eruptions
the act or an instance of exploding the last blowup of the volcano flattened trees for miles around

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 blowups His philosophy aims to avoid blowups, even if that sometimes means missing opportunities to maximize profits. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 8 July 2026 The history of peacemaking – from Kadesh to the Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnian war, to the Belfast Agreement that halted the 30-year sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland – shows that public blowups and threats to walk out are normal stages, not proof of failure. — Monica Duffy Toft, The Conversation, 25 June 2026 Schedule the fight Most blowups happen when one person is already activated and the other gets caught off guard and slips into defense mode—which means no one is actually listening. — Angela Haupt, Time, 11 June 2026 Continue reading … NEWSROOM DRAMA — Scott Pelley fired at CBS News after blowups with Bari Weiss, new '60 Minutes' producer. — FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026 Two of those outings belong to Tanner Houck, who gave up 11 and 12 runs in 2 1/3 innings in a pair of blowups last season before being shut down and eventually undergoing Tommy John surgery. — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 Apr. 2026 If Salley had been patient, Craig would have one of his inevitable blowups, and Charley would have gotten the ick faster than Rodrigo logs onto Ticketmaster when Madonna announces a new tour. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026 But more often than not, the blowups that surprise leaders usually come from something way simpler—the lack of clear direction. — Dan Haiem, Forbes.com, 5 Mar. 2026 And so, as a prelude to solving the Navier-Stokes problem, mathematicians have searched for blowups (also called singularities) in an assortment of simplified fluid equations, such as those that operate in only one dimension. — Quanta Magazine, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowups
  1. scenes
  2. eruptions
  3. explosions
  4. outbursts
  5. huffs
  6. fits
  7. reactions
  8. tantrums
Noun
  • But, though the special effects are killer, what makes the show click is its suspenseful melancholy, as quiet scenes build to jolts so intense that the whole audience screamed.
    — Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Yet most of the scenes are scripted and intended to be tongue in cheek, conveying the musicians’ irreverent sense of humor.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of scenes
Noun
  • Seeing the Braves compete in this series with the Dodgers, from the walk-off win to the ace performances to the timely snags to Truist Park’s eruptions, hearkened back memories of October 2021.
    — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Mann said that the study doesn't have a complete record of corals over the past 1,000 years, and also that his research has shown that volcanic eruptions have played more of a role than climate change in past El Niño events.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of eruptions
Noun
  • The clever premise provides the opportunity for plenty of high-octane action sequences, including fistfights, shootouts, explosions and car chases, with the hapless Ben providing comic relief from Hank’s Terminator-like indestructibility.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Several heavy explosions shook Kuhestak, with fireballs that lighted up the night sky, according to security camera recordings carried by the semiofficial news agency Fars.
    — David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of explosions
Noun
  • The 36-year-old Hubble also is dropping in orbit because of the sun’s recent outbursts.
    — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • He was accused of two other antisemitic outbursts and was eventually convicted in France on hate-speech charges.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of outbursts
Noun
  • David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.
    — Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
  • As much as Payton bristles about media storylines and huffs about tempo questions, the Broncos went 25 minutes without a first down against Las Vegas.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Nov. 2025
Definition of huffs
Noun
  • But because of the financial stability provided by Orladeyo’s success, the company is able to take a more flexible approach when looking for potential fits.
    — Brad Quick, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • New styles for men include relaxed straight painter jeans, baggy cargo and barrel fits and low-rise baggy jeans with drawstring waists.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of fits
Noun
  • According to the Courier & Press, the Facebook announcement generated about 1,000 reactions and more than 200 shares within four hours.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • For Cramer, the contrasting reactions show that investors remain willing to buy technology and AI stocks when valuations and fundamentals are attractive.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of reactions
Noun
  • Developmental pediatrician Carrie Cuffman told the Cleveland Clinic that attention-seeking tantrums are one case where staying out of it can help.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • While restraint collapse and tantrums can look similar on the surface, their triggers are different.
    — Liz Regalia, Parents, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of tantrums

Browse Nearby Words

blow up
blowups
blowy
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Cite this Entry

“Blowups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowups. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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