blast
noun
a sudden and violent gust of wind.
blast
1 American
[blast]
/ blæst /
noun
blasts
plural
-
a sudden and violent gust of wind.
Wintry blasts chilled us to the marrow.
-
the blowing of a trumpet, whistle, etc..
One blast of the siren was enough to clear the street.
-
a loud, sudden sound or noise.
The radio let out an awful blast before I could turn it off.
-
a forcible stream of air from the mouth, bellows, or the like.
-
Machinery.
-
air forced into a furnace by a blower to increase the rate of combustion.
-
a jet of steam directed up a smokestack, as of a steam locomotive, to increase draft.
-
a draft thus increased.
-
-
a forceful or explosive throw, hit, etc..
a blast down the third-base line.
-
Slang.
-
a vigorous outburst of criticism; attack.
-
an electronic message sent simultaneously to a large number of people: e-blast advertising;
an email blast;
e-blast advertising;
an SMS text blast.
-
Mining, Civil Engineering. the charge of dynamite or other explosive used at one firing in blasting operations.
-
the act of exploding; explosion.
Some say the blast was in the next county.
- Synonyms:
- outburst, detonation
-
any pernicious or destructive influence, especially on animals or plants; a blight.
-
the sudden death of buds, flowers, or young fruit.
verb (used with object)
blasts,
present (3rd person singular)
blasted,
past participle, past
blasting
present participle
-
to play loudly or make a loud noise on.
to blast rock music;
to blast a horn.
-
to cause to shrivel or wither; blight.
-
to affect with any harmful influence; ruin; wreck.
Failure in the exam blasted her hopes for college.
It was an indiscretion that blasted his good reputation.
- Synonyms:
- demolish
-
to shatter, break up, or dislodge by or as if by an explosion.
Their explosives were inadequate to blast the granite.
-
to make, form, open up, etc., by blasting.
to blast a tunnel through a mountain.
-
to show to be false, unreliable, etc.; discredit.
His facts soundly blasted the new evidence.
-
Informal. to curse; damn (usually followed by it or an object).
Blast it, there's the phone again!
Blast the time, we've got to finish this work.
-
to censure or criticize vigorously; denounce.
In his campaign speech he really blasts the other party.
-
to hit or propel with great force: They were blasted into outer space.
He blasted a homer that tied the game.
They were blasted into outer space.
-
to shoot.
The terrorists blasted him down.
verb (used without object)
blasts,
present (3rd person singular)
blasted,
past participle, past
blasting
present participle
-
to produce a loud, blaring sound: His voice blasted until the microphone was turned down.
The trumpets blasted as the overture began.
His voice blasted until the microphone was turned down.
-
to shoot.
He whipped out his revolver and started blasting.
-
Slang. to take narcotics.
verb phrase
idioms
-blast
2
American
blast
1
British
/ blɑːst /
noun
-
an explosion, as of dynamite
-
-
the rapid movement of air away from the centre of an explosion, combustion of rocket fuel, etc
-
a wave of overpressure caused by an explosion; shock wave
-
-
the charge of explosive used in a single explosion
-
a sudden strong gust of wind or air
-
a sudden loud sound, as of a trumpet
-
a violent verbal outburst, as of criticism
-
a forcible jet or stream of air, esp one used to intensify the heating effect of a furnace, increase the draught in a steam engine, or break up coal at a coalface
-
any of several diseases of plants and animals, esp one producing withering in plants
-
slang a very enjoyable or thrilling experience
the party was a blast
-
at maximum speed, volume, etc
interjection
verb
-
to destroy or blow up with explosives, shells, etc
-
to make or cause to make a loud harsh noise
-
(tr) to remove, open, etc, by an explosion
to blast a hole in a wall
-
(tr) to ruin; shatter
the rain blasted our plans for a picnic
-
to wither or cause to wither; blight or be blighted
-
to criticize severely
-
to shoot or shoot at
he blasted the hat off her head
he blasted away at the trees
-blast
2
British
combining form
blast
More Idioms
Usage
What does blast mean? A blast is a loud, sudden noise, as in The blast of the fire alarm woke Kehinde out of a deep sleep. Blasts are typically associated with the sound and force behind them, and often this force will be caused by a gust of wind or heat that is emanating from some type of explosion or machine. To blast is to make a loud, sudden noise, as when you blow into a trumpet. To blast is also to destroy or break up, as in The engineers blasted the rock in the side of the mountain to create a tunnel. Figuratively, a blast is a strong verbal attack or criticism. To blast someone is to criticize them in this way, as in Jada’s parents blasted her for staying out all night, and now she’s grounded for a month. A blast is also a really fun party or thrill, as in Luis was surprised at what a blast he had at rock climbing. Example: I heard a loud blast from the neighboring field and went over to see what happened.
Synonym Usage
See wind 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
blastsimple
-
blastssimple
-
have blastedperfect
-
has blastedperfect
-
am blastingprogressive
-
are blastingprogressive
-
is blastingprogressive
-
have been blastingperfect progressive
-
has been blastingperfect progressive
Past
-
blastedsimple
-
had blastedperfect
-
was blastingprogressive
-
were blastingprogressive
-
had been blastingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blast1
First recorded before 1000; 1955–60 blast for def. 7a; Middle English (noun and verb); Old English blǣst (noun) “a blowing”; akin to Old Norse blāstr, Old High German blāst; see blow 2
Origin of -blast2
< Greek, combining form of blastós a bud, sprout
Explanation
A blast is an explosion, or a sudden sharp noise. When you blast someone, you either shoot them, or hit them with a verbal explosion––a tirade of criticism. Your teacher might blast your class for being rowdy; she’ll go on and on about how you are acting like first graders. On the Fourth of July, you might hear a different kind of blast — first your neighbors' bottle rockets, then the explosion of fireworks sponsored by your town. It's very exciting to watch a rocket launch into space––little kids love to play at the game, chanting, "5...4...3...2...1...blast off!
Vocabulary lists containing blast
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Its inhabitants were rebuilding but the scars remained: Her grandmother survived the blast but with terrible injuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“The attack surface is exploding. Every ungoverned asset and identity is multiplying the blast radius of AI exponentially,” McDermott told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
When a massive star explodes as a supernova, for example, the blast can launch the stellar remnant in one direction at high speed.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
The Times reported in March that the department was conducting an internal investigation into whether graphic crime scene photos of the July 2025 blast were improperly shared.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Eisenhower walked through the five-foot-thick steel blast gate, past the decontamination chamber, and met in the war room with cabinet officials who were also participating in the drill.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Since astronomers first identified them in the early 2000s, they have struggled to explain why these explosions remain intensely bright long after a massive star's iron core collapses and blasts its outer layers into space.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
The curriculum combined fire hose blasts of information about rod physics and trout-stream entomology with hands-on instruction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
The grande finale of the fireworks show was marked by a massive flurry of blasts - reaching a much anticipated crescendo.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Play soft music to drown out fireworks blasts and give your pet something to do, like putting treats inside an interactive toy, to keep them calm and happy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
But eddying blasts swirled round them from every side, and the snow flowed down in ever denser clouds.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
From there, the All Blacks quickly worked their way up the field and scored when the vastly experienced Tuipulotu took a pass from second-row partner Josh Lord, blasted past Keenan and touched down.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The highlights of the early cases are canonically familiar: the blasted monochrome landscapes of C.R.W.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
After a surprise layoff by a fintech company five months ago, Abernathy blasted out a bunch of resumes, but that didn’t turn up much.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
While many in the United States joined the president in celebrating the reversal, others blasted its adverse impact on the integrity of the sport.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Ten minutes after takeoff, Vostok blasted through the atmosphere and into space.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
They did the same dance again, this time while blasting “YMCA,” a song frequently played at Trump rallies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Each has at least three times the mass of the Sun and floods the surrounding region with intense ultraviolet radiation while blasting out powerful stellar winds.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
The 19-year-old Italian let the race settle down before remorselessly homing in on the Ferrari and blasting past Hamilton on the Hangar Straight on lap eight after strategically saving his battery charge.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Sebastien Leas, a forecaster at France's weather service, likened it to a "vacuum cleaner, drawing in heat and masses of hot air rising from North Africa" and blasting it northward in a violent torrent.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Wielaf said, “He made the debris to the upper level by blasting out some columns and stuff. He climbed it. Then left the way you all came in.”
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.