Meaning
- To explode.
- To inflate things like balloons or tires.
- To suddenly become very angry.
- To enlarge a photo or image.
Today's Sentences
01
Can you blow up these balloons?
Situation
Can you help me set up for the party?
Sure!
What do you need?
Can you blow up these balloons?
If I pass out, you owe me cake.
02
It blew up right over the lake.
Situation
Whoa!
Did you see that one?
Yeah! It blew up right over the lake.
Looked amazing.
I swear these fireworks get bigger every year.
That’s the goal!
Blow up the sky and impress the crowd.
Writer's Note
"Blow up" is a transitive, intransitive, inseparable and depending on the context; a separable phrasal verb. Let’s dive into the details together.
- Transitive - Needs an object for the sentence to make sense.
Example 1: They planned to blow up the old bridge.
Example 2: The kids helped blow up the balloons for the party.
Example 3: Someone tried to blow up the parliament building. - Intransitive - No object is needed for the sentence to make sense. The action happens on its own.
Example 1: The car suddenly blew up after the crash.
Example 2: Everyone panicked when the gas tank blew up.
Example 3: His latest video blew up overnight on social media. - Inseparable - When the particle "blow" and verb "up" cannot be split. You will see that the phrasal verb is paired together.
Example 1: They tried to blow up the old building.
Example 2: I watched the fireworks blow up in the sky.
Example 3: The post blew up on TikTok. - Separable - When the particle blow and the verb up can be separated while the sentence makes sense. Note that separable forms of this phrasal verb usually deal with inflating things.
Example 1: Can you blow these balloons up before the guests arrive?
Example 2: I need to blow that air mattress up for the sleepover.
Example 3: He blew the tire up at the gas station.
Related Words: Burst, detonate, enlarge, erupt, explode, fill, go viral, ignite, inflate, lose it, magnify, pop, swell, vent, widen
