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1. A violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
   - explosion, detonation
    
2. An unrestrained expression of emotion
   - effusion, gush, outburst, ebullition
    
3. A photographic print that has been enlarged
   - enlargement, magnification

1. Designed to be filled with air or gas
   - inflatable

1. Cause to burst with a violent release of energy
   "We blew up the nuclear bomb";
   - explode, detonate, set off
    
2. (photography) make appear larger; make a larger copy
   "blow up an image";
   - enlarge, magnify
    
3. Get very angry and fly into a rage
   "The professor blew up when the student didn't know the answer to a very elementary question";
   - flip one's lid, throw a fit, hit the roof, hit the ceiling, have kittens, have a fit, combust, blow one's stack, fly off the handle, flip one's wig, lose one's temper, blow a fuse, go ballistic
    
4. Add details to
   - embroider, pad, lard, embellish, aggrandize, aggrandise [Brit], dramatize, dramatise [Brit]
    
5. Burst and release energy as through a violent chemical or physical reaction
   "the bomb blew up at noon";
   - detonate, explode
    
6. Exaggerate or make bigger
   - inflate, expand, amplify
    
7. Fill with gas or air
   "blow up a balloon";
   - inflate
    
8. To swell or cause to enlarge
   "Her faced blew up from the drugs";
   - puff, puff up, puff out

Derived forms: blowups, blowing up, blown up, blew up, blows up

See also: expansive

Type of: amplify, change integrity, discharge, exaggerate, expand, exposure, expression, hyperbolise [Brit], hyperbolize, increase, intumesce, magnify, manifestation, overdraw, overstate, photo, photograph, pic, picture, puff, rage, reflection, reflexion [Brit], swell, swell up, tumefy, tumesce

Antonym: reduce

Encyclopedia: Blowup