blow up
To explode; to fill something with air; to suddenly become very angry; or for a small problem to become a big one.
Meanings
To explode or to destroy something with an explosion.
"The army used controlled demolition to blow up the old bridge."
To fill something with air or gas; to inflate.
"Can you help me blow up the rest of the balloons before the guests arrive?"
To suddenly lose one's temper and become very angry.
"My dad blew up when he found out I'd crashed the car."
For a situation, argument, or scandal to suddenly become serious or widely known.
"A small disagreement in the comments section blew up into a massive online controversy."
One of the most versatile and frequent phrasal verbs in English. The 'explode' and 'inflate' senses are A2. The 'lose one's temper' sense is very common informally. The 'become a major issue' sense is increasingly common in media and social contexts.
Commonly used with
Forms
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Synonyms
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