blow up
The phrase "blow up" has versatile meanings, ranging from literal explosions to sudden emotional reactions and rapid increases in popularity.
Definition
B1General
(literal, figurative)To explode or cause to explode.
Example
- The old building blew up due to a gas leak.
- The villain planned to blow up the bridge.
A2General
(literal)To inflate or fill with air or gas.
Example
- He blew up the balloon for the party.
- You need to blow up the tire before you can use the bike.
B2General
(figurative)To become suddenly very angry.
Example
- She blew up when she found out about the mistake.
- My boss blew up at me for missing the deadline.
B2Photography
(technical)To enlarge a photograph or image.
Example
- Can you blow up this picture so we can see more details?
- The artist decided to blow up the image for the gallery display.
B2General
(figurative)To fail or break down suddenly and completely.
Example
- Their plan blew up in their faces.
- The project blew up due to lack of funding.
B2Entertainment
(slang)To become popular very quickly.
Example
- The new artist blew up overnight.
- Their song blew up on social media.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "blow up":
blowing upblow apartblow outburst upblast upblow the roof offblow downblown outblow offblow a gasketblow awayblast outblow out of the waterblow a fusepop offpuff upflame upburst outbust upshoot upblow waterblow a hole throughgo ballisticdrop the bombbust outblaze upblow overgo up in flamesbubble upbreak outburn upbomb outblow someone's mindflip outpuff outdrop a bombshellblow throughpump upblow off steamblow inmelt downboil upgo offbug upcrack uphot upblow uponblow assbowl upspark uplight upglow upgo up in smokefreak outhit the rooftear uppop outblast offshoot offblow someone's brains outfluff upflare upboil overblast awayflare outbust onspaz outgob offmess upbubble underfoam upbody blowblow chunkstear it upshake upsend upsmash upbrew upgas upthe bombcatch fireheat upflake outburn downsteam upblow someone's coverrip upblow the whistlebung upscrew up