blow up — 3 meanings

One phrase, 3 meanings. Learn them one at a time, then test yourself.

phrasal verb3 meanings

blow up

explode

become very angry

escalate rapidly

Meaning 1 · most common

explode

blow up sth

to burst or break apart suddenly and violently, often with a loud noise.

How oftenCommon

LevelB1

Used inSpeech & writing

Examples

The old factory blew up after the fire reached the gas tanks.

A: Did you hear that loud noise last night?
B: Yeah, something blew up near the train station.

Common mistake

Not: The bomb blew ~~off~~ in the street.

Say: The bomb blew up in the street.

'Blow up' = explode; 'blow off' means something else (e.g. skip / ignore).

More on “explode”Another example · Tell it apart · Goes with · Tip

Another example

In my hometown, there was an accident where a gas pipe blew up, and it caused a lot of damage to nearby buildings.

Tell it apart

The car blew up in the crash.

exploded

The tyre blew out on the motorway.

burst suddenly

Goes with

blow up (explode)

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Next meaning: become very angry

Meaning 2

become very angry

blow up sth
informal

to suddenly become extremely angry and start shouting or reacting strongly.

How oftenCommon

LevelB2

Used inMostly spoken

Examples

My boss blew up at me when I missed the deadline.

A: Why is Sarah so upset?
B: She blew up at Tom because he forgot her birthday.

Common mistake

Not: He blew up ~~with~~ me over nothing.

Say: He blew up at me over nothing.

You blow up AT someone, not 'with'.

More on “become very angry”Another example · Tell it apart · Goes with · Tip

Another example

Sometimes, when people are under a lot of stress at work, they might blow up at their colleagues over small mistakes.

Tell it apart

He blew up at me over a tiny thing.

lost his temper, shouted

He opened up to me about it.

talked honestly about his feelings

Goes with

blow up at someone

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Next meaning: escalate rapidly

Meaning 3

escalate rapidly

blow up into sth

to become much more serious or intense very quickly, especially in reference to a situation, argument, or conflict.

How oftenNow and then

LevelC1

Used inSpeech & writing

Examples

What started as a minor disagreement quickly blew up into a major conflict between the two departments.

A: Did you hear about the meeting yesterday?
B: Yeah, things really blew up when the budget cuts were announced.

Common mistake

Not: The scandal blew up ~~into~~ the news.

Say: The scandal blew up overnight. / The story blew up in the news.

Here 'blow up' = suddenly become big or serious; don't add 'into the news'.

More on “escalate rapidly”Another example · Tell it apart · Goes with · Tip

Another example

If negotiations are not handled carefully, a small misunderstanding can easily blow up into a significant diplomatic crisis.

Tell it apart

The argument blew up out of nothing.

escalated fast

The argument died down quickly.

calmed and faded

Goes with

blow up (situation)

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explode become very angry escalate rapidly