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
  • The music department, as well as Courcol’s lively directing and writing, must be commended for scenes of the brass ensemble playing and rehearsing, in a constantly dynamic interaction with dialogue.
    — Caspar Salmon, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The region is made up of various villages and hamlets, including Port Carling (where scenes from the show were filmed at locations like Mortimer’s Point Marina).
    — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of scenes
Noun
  • Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because of its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities are central to supernova explosions as well as volcanic eruptions and this study will help astronomers and geophysicists alike in predict how energy moves through these systems.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of eruptions
Noun
  • The explosions provide different interruptions, punctuating the moment as one of Keeley’s ideas plays out in real time.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Over the course of its five-year mission, the Roman telescope will capture images of the Milky Way, survey the entire sky and observe supernova explosions that occurred as far as 8 billion years ago.
    — Josh Feldman, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of explosions
Noun
  • 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
  • The 36-year-old Hubble is also dropping in orbit because of all the sun's recent outbursts and is expected to reenter the atmosphere in the 2030s if nothing is done.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 19 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
  • While some of the wider fits puddled over boots, most were hemmed nearly at the top of the foot, allowing ballet flats and thong sandals to peak.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • After four seasons of fits and starts with the offense built around tight ends or the running game but rarely the receiver room, maybe the Irish are in position for something more.
    — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of fits
Noun
  • The researchers say, however, that some of the metabolic reactions were catalyzed not by elaborate protein enzymes, as in all organisms today, but by simple metallic chemical elements found in the hydrothermal vents’ minerals.
    — Philip Ball, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Confusion, frustration and celebration were among the top public reactions to reports that Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan will leave the United States after six years and move back to the United Kingdom.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 20 Aug. 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 27 Aug. 2026.

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