blasts 1 of 2

noun

plural of blast
1
as in claps
a loud explosive sound a sharp blast of the horn startled the other driver

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in blows
a sudden brief rush of wind a surprise blast stole the umbrella right out of his hands

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in explosions
the act or an instance of exploding the blast destroyed the building completely

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bashes
a social gathering a wild fraternity blast that lasted a whole weekend

Synonyms & Similar Words

blasts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of blast
1
as in shatters
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive the highway engineers will have to blast that hill in order to put a road through here

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fires
to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force artillery that could blast cannonballs from hundreds of yards

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in shoots
to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force the recruits were all blasting away at the target range

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in attacks
to criticize harshly and usually publicly blasted the new governor for every little misstep

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in speeds
to proceed or move quickly rowdy teenagers blasting down the road in a sports car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blasts
Noun
Neither of the two blasts Shearer experienced in Iraq produced obvious injuries, and medics prioritized Marines who were more badly hurt. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 Taillon has coughed up 25 home runs in 15 starts this season, allowing five in his previous two starts, ceding at least one in 12 turns and permitting multiple blasts in eight starts. — Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026 Beyond both brothers hitting home runs in their second at-bats of the game, there were other striking similarities to the blasts. — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026 Boston hit three home runs in four at-bats in the third inning, with Sheehan giving up blasts to Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida as the Dodgers suffered their second three-game sweep at home in less than a month. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 More than 10 explosions were heard in a row, the journalists reported, adding that the intensity of the blasts triggered car alarms on the streets. — CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026 In another, blood pooled across a crosswalk littered with broken glass and debris from the blasts. — Greg Myre, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026 Rumors fill information void Syrian officials say the blasts that targeted government institutions and the French presidential convoy were the work of a cell affiliated with the Islamic State. — Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026 So the production would brave heavy winds with fireboats that could pummel the main boat with blasts of water to create storm effects. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 July 2026
Verb
These events occur when extremely hot underground water suddenly turns into steam, expands, and blasts apart the surrounding rock. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026 No stomping rhythms here, no shrill blasts in unison, no sweaty masculinity souring the air, no red faces. — Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026 Continue reading … POLITICS PARTY PRESSURE – Bernie Sanders demands Democrats ban super PACs from primaries, blasts AIPAC, ‘corrupt system’. — FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026 When aimed at Earth, this solar activity blasts out particles that can disrupt satellites, power grids and other communications infrastructure. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026 Report blasts ‘economic assault’ on Black Americans Whether corporate America and major nonprofits are still willing to participate is an open question. — Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026 Strobe lights zigzag across the room and confetti rains down as Ruffin blasts a smoke cannon into the roaring crowd. — Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 27 July 2026 The Bose SoundLink Flex II Speaker blasts your outdoor playlist with PositionIQ audio technology and SnapDragon Sound aptX high-resolution streaming. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 21 July 2026 Such shock waves occur when a massive star’s core runs out of fuel, implodes and blasts the rest of the star to smithereens. — Damien Pine, Scientific American, 21 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blasts
  1. claps
  2. blows
  3. explosions
  4. bashes
  5. shatters
  6. fires
  7. shoots
  8. attacks
Noun
  • The Golf Channel would always be playing in the background; the soft claps were the soundtrack to our slow Saturdays.
    — Ivy Odom, Southern Living, 1 Aug. 2026
  • One of the moments in the musical that caused the most laughter and claps from the audience was the final song, which mocks the idea of using violence as a form of protest rather than joining a movement or focusing on policy.
    — Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2026
Definition of claps
Noun
  • After the dustups, the offense went from taking blows from the defense to delivering some of its own.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2026
  • During the less than a minute-long elevator ride, the duo trading blows, according to the video.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Definition of blows
Noun
  • Small explosions happen within the park every few years and generally present localized dangers.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Earlier this summer in Germany, evacuations were ordered in record-breaking heat after a wildfire triggered explosions in a nature reserve strewn with leftover ordnance from World War II.
    — John Vaillant, Time, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of explosions
Noun
  • And for a girl who is known for her epic Fourth of July bashes, wearing a gown by the designer for her wedding celebration (that just so happens to fall over the holiday weekend) seems like a perfect fit.
    — Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
  • This big-batch watermelon punch is great for summer bashes.
    — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
Definition of bashes
Verb
  • Continue reading … RAISING THE BAR — ICE shatters all-time mark with a jaw-dropping 51,000 arrests in July.
    — , FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • As Hogi pokes a hole in this plot and shatters the industrial love complex we’ve been sold song after song, movie after movie, the workplace version of this unhealthy relationship presents a familiar parallel.
    — Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of shatters
Verb
  • The bureau conducts its own investigation each time an agent fires a weapon.
    — Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • And 10 years later, DOGE actually fires hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
    — Tonya Mosley, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of fires
Verb
  • One of the riders appears to pull out a pistol and shoots the influencer point blank.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Then Indiana Jones looks at him, sighs, pulls out a gun and just shoots him.
    — Jim Bowden, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of shoots
Verb
  • Meanwhile, donning night-vision giggles, Knoxville gleefully attacks them with trash can lids and tasers.
    — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Yellow-legged hornets, an invasive species that attacks honeybee colonies, have been spotted in North Carolina for the first time.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacks

Browse Nearby Words

blastoffs
blasts
blasts (at)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blasts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blasts. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on blasts

Nglish: Translation of blasts for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All