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💥 To explode 🌐 To go viral 🎈 To fill with air 😡 To get very angry 🦶 To swell 📢 To exaggerate 📝 To add details 🖼️ To enlarge
to blow up

to blow up

16 4.7
To suddenly become very angry and lose control
  • phrasal verb
  • /bloʊ ʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : enfadarse
  • I didn't mean to blow up on you this morning.
  • blow up in someone's face
  • just blow up
  • going to blow up

But when that guy said it, that's when he blew up.

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Examples

  • So you get angry, you blow up at somebody, you say things maybe you don't mean.

  • "Why do you always blow up about small issues?" she asked in frustration.

  • We better leave before she blows up the break room again.

    The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2024)

  • - I'm so sorry that I blew up at you.

    Instant Family (2018)

  • Sorry I blew up.

    Dragnet (1954)

  • If Timmy blows up at Philly next Friday, his confidence will be shot.

    Blog text (29)

  • Yet I kept picturing him blowing up at me, cursing me, and storming out of our partnership.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • He tends to blow up when people criticize his work, even if it's constructive.

  • After hearing the unfair accusation, Jason couldn't help but blow up at his colleague.

Synonyms

to explode
vsto blow up
187 3.5

To suddenly show a strong feeling, often anger

is sudden anger that is usually limited to angry expression
to erupt
vsto blow up
123 4.2

To suddenly start in a strong or violent way, often showing strong feeling

is sudden anger focused on a person's emotional outburst rather than events
to flare up
vsto blow up
23 4.7

To become suddenly stronger or worse, often for a short time

is sudden anger but usually a temporary increase rather than eruption
to go ballistic
vsto blow up
  • Informal
22 7.5

Suddenly become very angry

is sudden anger but usually more extreme and explosive
to throw a tantrum
vsto blow up
  • Informal
18 4.4

To show sudden strong anger or upset, often like a child

is sudden anger that is less childish and less theatrically dramatic
to have a fit
vsto blow up
  • Informal
16 5.3

To suddenly become very angry or upset and show it strongly

is sudden anger that can be milder or internal rather than outward
to throw a fit
vsto blow up
  • Informal
12 6.1

To suddenly become very angry or upset in a loud, obvious way

is sudden anger that may be less visibly dramatic
to fly off the handle
vsto blow up
  • Informal
11 6.8

To suddenly become very angry

is sudden anger but sometimes slower or provoked
to fly off
vsto blow up
  • Informal
7 5.3

To suddenly get very angry without warning

is sudden anger that can be less intense and brief
to boil over
vsto blow up
  • Informal
7 4.8

To suddenly lose control and show strong anger

is sudden anger but can be calmer or internal
to hit the roof
vsto blow up
  • Informal
4 6.7

To suddenly become very angry

is sudden anger that may be less extremely furious
to combust
vsto blow up
4 8.2

To become suddenly very angry and lose control

is sudden anger but this term is more figurative and formal
to hit the ceiling
vsto blow up
  • Informal
3 6.8

To suddenly get very angry

is sudden anger without implying surprise or shock
to lose one's temper
vsto blow up
2 3.7

To suddenly become very angry and not be able to control yourself

is sudden anger expressed strongly rather than a calm reaction
to blow one's stack
vsto blow up
  • Informal
2 8.6

Suddenly get very angry and show it

is sudden anger that can be less extreme or showy
to go nuclear
vsto blow up
  • Informal
2 8.3

To become extremely angry and shout or act violently

is similar but may imply greater aggression than usual
to raise the roof
vsto blow up
  • Informal
1 8.0

Get very angry and shout loudly

is sudden anger that often focuses on loud public expression
to blow a fuse
vsto blow up
  • Informal
1 7.4

To suddenly become very angry

is sudden anger but can be less intensely enraged
to pop off
vsto blow up
  • Informal
1 8.1

To suddenly say something angry without warning

is sudden anger often shown in words rather than a full outburst
to flip your lid
vsto blow up
  • Informal
1 8.6

To suddenly become very angry and lose control

is sudden anger that can be more informal or vivid
to go off on one
vsto blow up
  • UK
1 9.9

To suddenly get very angry and speak loudly for a long time

is sudden anger usually shorter and less prolonged outburst
to blow one's top
vsto blow up
  • Informal
8.0

To suddenly become very angry

is sudden anger that may not be outwardly dramatic
to flip one's lid
vsto blow up
  • Informal
9.1

To become suddenly very angry and lose control

is sudden anger but might be less focused on intensity
to flip one's wig
vsto blow up
  • Informal
9.9

To suddenly become very angry and lose control of yourself

is sudden anger often more emotional than calculated
to flip the bitch switch
vsto blow up
  • Offensive
9.9

To suddenly become very angry and behave in a mean way

is sudden anger with strong aggressiveness rather than mild upset
to throw a wobbly
vsto blow up
  • UK
9.9

To become suddenly very angry and upset in a dramatic way

is sudden anger that can be less dramatic and more adult
to have kittens
vsto blow up
  • Informal
8.8

Become very upset or angry in a way that is too strong

is sudden anger that is more narrowly about anger than anxiety
to burst a blood vessel
vsto blow up
  • Informal
6.9

To become very angry or upset in a way people notice

is sudden anger but phrase stresses physical or dramatic reaction

Antonyms

to calm down
  • Informal
594 1.4

To become less angry, excited, or upset

to keep one's temper
1 4.4

Stay calm and not get angry in a difficult situation

How Angry

to fly off
  • Informal
7 5.3
to blow up
  • Informal
16 4.7

Surface Forms

blow up infinitive
blowing up present participle
blows up third person singular
blew up past
blown up past participle

Morphology

blow + up

The sense 'become suddenly very popular' is a metaphorical extension of the literal senses of 'blow' (sudden force/expansion/explosion) plus the intensifying particle 'up', so a learner who knows the constituents can likely infer a general idea of rapid increase or spread. However, the social-media nuance (viral sharing/popularity) and the specific usage as a phrasal verb are not fully predictable from the parts alone, so prior exposure helps for the full meaning.

Etymology

Blow up meaning 'to lose one's temper' comes from the image of a person building pressure inside and suddenly bursting out, like a kettle or balloon that blows up with steam or air. That's why it means 'to suddenly become very angry'.