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blowout

blowout

20 4.5
A sudden burst that breaks a tire or machine part
  • noun
  • /ˈbloʊˌaʊt/
translation icon : reventón
  • The car had a sudden blowout on the highway, forcing us to pull over.
  • well blowout
  • oil well blowout
  • deepwater blowout

Remember when we had a mid air door blowout, door plug blowout because bolts were missing?

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Examples

  • I'm terrified of a tire blowout, and glad you weren't hurt.

    Blog text (4)
  • During the Deepwater Horizon blowout, BP applied Corexit directly at the gushing wellhead on the seafloor.

    Academic text (2012)
  • I seem to have some sort of a blowout here.

  • The heat must have caused a blowout.

  • If you ran over something that caused the blowout, the tire and wheel problem is your responsibility.

    Blog text (2)
  • If a blowout occurs, the cost of repairs is only the beginning.

    Academic text (2003)
  • I think we've had a blowout.

  • The blowout occurred just as I was crossing the Canadian River overpass.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Four natural gas blowouts have occurred in Cook Inlet since 1962.

    Academic text (2000)
  • An unusual opportunity for scientists to study CNH would surely be the blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

    Academic text (2013)

Synonyms

flat tire
vsblowout
  • US
42 2.2

A tire with little or no air that cannot work properly

is a sudden violent rupture rather than a gradual loss of air
rupture
vsblowout
34 6.0

A sudden violent breaking open of something like a pipe or balloon

is used for sudden mechanical failures often involving burst tires
flat
vsblowout
33 2.3

A tire with little or no air that cannot be driven on

is usually a burst or failure that happens suddenly rather than slow deflation
sudden breakdown
vsblowout
3.5

An unexpected failure of a machine that stops it working

is a violent breaking event often with bursting rather than a general failure

Antonyms

3 3.1

Working as it should and ready to use

How Forceful

blowout
20 4.5
gusher
  • Specialized
10 8.1
oil well
  • Specialized
19 2.8
dry hole
  • Jargon
3 7.7

Surface Forms

blowout singular
blowouts plural

Morphology

blowout = blow (transparent) = out + blow

The mechanical failure sense is a direct, literal combination of 'blow' (burst/force) + 'out' (to the exterior), so learners can usually infer the meaning. [Postprocessing: moved 'out' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Blowout comes from blow + out, meaning air or gas is pushed 'out' suddenly. That's why a 'blowout' is a sudden break, like a tire that bursts when the air escapes.