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blast

n. · v.
US //ˈbɫæst// UK //blˈɑːst// blast
  1. 1 an explosion (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a sudden and violent explosion, often used when clearing rock or destroying buildings.

    a sudden, violent explosion or the forceful wave of air pressure produced by one.

    Example

    The blast from the dynamite could be heard three miles away from the construction site.

    Example

    The shockwave from the blast shattered windows across the valley, demonstrating the sheer power of the industrial explosives used in the quarry.
  2. 2 a loud noise (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a sudden, very loud sound, like a car horn or a trumpet.

    a sudden, loud, and often harsh acoustic signal.

    Example

    The ship gave a long blast of its whistle as it left the harbour.

    Example

    A sudden blast from the air horn startled the pedestrians, momentarily drowning out the ambient city traffic.
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  1. 3 a fun time (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    a very enjoyable or exciting experience.

    an exceptionally enjoyable or exciting event or experience.

    Example

    We had a blast at the theme park yesterday.

    Example

    Despite the initial travel delays, the entire group had a blast at the wedding reception, dancing until the early hours of the morning.
  2. 4 severe criticism (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    a strong and angry verbal attack or piece of criticism.

    a severe and public verbal reprimand or criticism.

    Example

    The manager gave the team a blast for their poor performance in the first half.

    Example

    The senator faced a blast from the press after the controversial documents were leaked to the public.
  3. 5 to blow up (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to destroy something using explosives.

    to shatter or destroy something by means of an explosion.

    Example

    Engineers had to blast the rock to make a tunnel for the new road.

    Example

    The demolition crew prepared to blast the derelict apartment block, ensuring all safety protocols were strictly followed before the countdown.
  4. 6 to play music loudly (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    to play music or sound at a very high volume.

    to produce or broadcast sound, especially music, at an extremely high volume.

    Example

    Our neighbours were blasting music until two in the morning.

    Example

    The teenagers drove through the quiet residential street blasting heavy metal from their car speakers, much to the annoyance of the residents.
Etymology 1

From Middle English blast, blest, from Old English blǣst (“blowing, blast”), from Proto-West Germanic blāstu, from Proto-Germanic blēstuz (“blowing, blast”). Cognate with West Frisian blast (“blast”), dialectal Dutch blast (“stubborn intent, drumming”), obsolete German Blast (“wind, blowing”), German blasen (“to blow”), Dutch blazen (“to blow”), Danish blæst (“wind”), French blaser (“to blunt, dull”). More at blow.

Etymology 2

From Middle English blasten, blesten, from Old English blǣstan (“to blow, blast”), from Proto-West Germanic blēstijan, from Proto-Germanic blēstijaną. Possibly related to Middle High German blesten (“to stand out, plop, splash”).

Etymology 3

From Ancient Greek βλαστός (blastós, “germ or sprout”).

Etymology 4

From BLAST (an acronym for Basic Local Alignment Search Tool).

Word family
Idioms5 entries

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