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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

4 3.7
To make something seem more important or bigger than it is
  • phrasal verb
  • /bloʊ ʌp/
translation icon : exagerar
  • You start attaching importance to these things, and they get blown up out of all proportion.

It was just like the small little silly things that you just blow up into the biggest thing and then never needed to be.

Examples

  • This whole thing's blown up into an international incident.

    Love and Bullets (1979)

  • The problem is being blown up out of all proportion.

    Blog text (24)

  • Your lies and schemes, they'll blow up in your face.

    The Naughty Nine (2023)

  • But you can get a lot of the beneficial impact with little or no risk, and often avert having things blow up.

    Academic text (1999)

  • The news article began to blow up on social media once people started sharing it widely.

  • After the meeting, she realized that her comments had blown up into a major controversy.

  • He tends to blow up minor issues, making them seem much more serious than they really are.

Synonyms

to exaggerate
vsto blow up
258 3.1

To say something is larger, better, or worse than it really is

is the same general act of exaggerating importance or size
to overstate
vsto blow up
70 4.2

Say something is bigger or more important than it really is

is the general exaggeration of importance rather than a single factual claim
to hype
vsto blow up
53 4.4

To promote something with exaggerated, flashy advertising to get attention

is a general exaggeration without promotional or marketing intent
to inflate
vsto blow up
47 4.2

To make something seem more important or bigger than it really is

is general exaggeration rather than specifically boosting worth
to magnify
vsto blow up
34 4.6

To make something seem more important or serious than it really is

is the broad exaggeration that includes size, importance, or seriousness
to expand
vsto blow up
20 3.4

To make something seem larger or more important than it is

is the general exaggeration of importance rather than literal growth
to dramatize
vsto blow up
15 4.2

To make something seem more exciting or important than it really is

is the general exaggeration of importance rather than theatrical effect
to overplay
vsto blow up
13 4.6

Make something seem more important or serious than it really is

is the broader act of exaggeration, not only emphasis for effect
to sensationalize
vsto blow up
  • Literature
12 6.8

To make stories seem more exciting than they are

is a general exaggeration of importance rather than media shock value
to amplify
vsto blow up
9 5.6

To make something seem bigger or more important than it really is

is broader exaggeration, not only the act of adding emphasis
to play up
vsto blow up
9 4.3

Make something seem more important or impressive than it is

is broader exaggeration of importance rather than deliberate emphasis
to overemphasize
vsto blow up
8 5.5

Treat something as more important than it should be

is the general exaggeration of importance rather than selective emphasis
to oversell
vsto blow up
7 4.9

Make something seem better than it really is

is the broad act of exaggeration rather than sales or marketing focus
to overhype
vsto blow up
4 5.8

Praise something more than it really deserves

is general exaggeration rather than purposeful publicity or praise
to make a mountain out of a molehill
vsto blow up
  • Informal
3 6.4

Treat a small problem as if it were very serious

is the general exaggeration of importance not limited to minor issues
to overdramatize
vsto blow up
3 6.6

Describe something as more serious or emotional than it really is

is general exaggeration of importance rather than heightened drama
to make a big thing out of
vsto blow up
  • Informal
2 5.8

Treat something as more important or serious than it is

is the broader exaggeration of importance across many situations
to overinflate
vsto blow up
1 5.1

Make something seem much bigger or more important than it is

is a broader exaggeration beyond just size or value
to overblow
vsto blow up
1 5.9

To make something seem more important or serious than it is

is the basic act of exaggeration without added context or style
to make a meal of
vsto blow up
  • Informal
1 8.3

Act as if something is much more difficult or important than it is

is the general exaggeration of importance rather than focusing on complexity
to puff up
vsto blow up
1 6.4

To praise someone too much to make them seem better

is general exaggeration of importance rather than specifically flattering praise
to overexaggerate
vsto blow up
1 5.4

To make something seem much worse or bigger than it is

is a general exaggeration beyond what is true or reasonable
to hyperbolize
vsto blow up
  • US
1 7.9

To make something seem much bigger or more important than it really is

is the general exaggeration of importance rather than rhetorical excess
to overdraw
vsto blow up
6.6

Describe something as more important or impressive than it really is

is general exaggeration about importance rather than dramatic portrayal
to melodramatize
vsto blow up
7.7

To make something seem more emotional and dramatic than it is

is the basic exaggeration of importance rather than theatrical melodrama

Antonyms

to downplay
59 5.3

Show something as less important or serious than it is

to understate
18 5.2

To make something seem smaller or less important than it really is

How Exaggerated

to overstate
70 4.2
to blow up
4 3.7
to magnify
34 4.6
to play up
9 4.3

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 exaggerate' comes from the image of making a small fact look much larger, like blowing a tiny balloon until it seems huge. That's why it means 'to make something seem bigger or more important than it is'.