Definitions

blow up

VERB

inflate

Synonyms

STRONGEST

fill

WEAK

billow bloat distend enlarge expand inflate puff up pump up swell

Antonyms

WEAK

be calm deflate ignore let go let out shrink shrivel

VERB

explode

Synonyms

STRONGEST

blast bomb burst detonate dynamite erupt go off rupture shatter

WEAK

mushroom

Antonyms

STRONGEST

mend

WEAK

be calm deflate ignore let go let out shrink shrivel

VERB

magnify importance

Synonyms

WEAK

enlarge exaggerate heighten overstate

Antonyms

WEAK

be calm deflate ignore let go let out shrink shrivel

VERB

burst with anger

Synonyms

STRONGEST

erupt

WEAK

become angry become enraged go off the deep end hit the roof lose control lose temper rage rave

Antonyms

WEAK

be calm deflate ignore let go let out shrink shrivel

blow-up

NOUN

blast

Synonyms

STRONGEST

burst crash detonation eruption explosion outbreak outburst volley

STRONG

bang discharge dynamite salvo

NOUN

detonation

Synonyms

STRONGEST

ignition

STRONG

bang blast blowout boom discharge

NOUN

eruption

Synonyms

STRONGEST

blast breakout burst explosion flare-up outbreak outburst

STRONG

access discharge flow gust sally venting vomiting

Antonyms

STRONG

trickle

VERB

embroider

Synonyms

STRONGEST

embellish

STRONG

aggrandize amplify color distend dramatize elaborate enhance enlarge expand falsify fudge heighten hyperbolize lie magnify overdo overemphasize overestimate overstate pad puff romanticize stretch

WEAK

build up make federal case make mountain out of molehill overelaborate overembellish play up spread on thick stretch the truth yeast

Antonyms

STRONG

abridge compress condense contract curtail decrease diminish lessen lower reduce shorten shrink simplify

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.

MarketWatch: What actually separates traders who make money consistently from those who blow up their accounts?

From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026

On Friday, authorities described the tank exploding or rupturing as the only possible outcomes, but on Saturday Covey said: "Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable."

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

But my phone didn’t blow up that day because of a classic song.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

Kim Hyon-hui, a North Korean agent who helped blow up a South Korean jetliner in November 1987 before being arrested and eventually converting to Christianity, went further in drawing a line between Christianity and Kimilsungism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

The thermostat was turned all the way up and the furnace was banging and sounding like it was about to blow up but it still felt like Jack Frost had moved in with us.

From "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by Christopher Paul Curtis

blow up

Example Sentences

Related Words