Meaning & use
blast
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Meanings
nouncountable
A sudden, powerful explosion, or the wave of air that it sends out.
Grammar: Countable: a blast, two blasts.
Patterns
- a bomb blast
- survive a blast
The blast shook windows across the street.
Nobody was hurt in the gas blast.
Firefighters arrived minutes after the blast.
nouncountable
A strong rush of air, wind or sound.
Grammar: Often followed by of: a blast of cold air.
Patterns
- a blast of something
A blast of cold air hit us when we opened the door.
The driver gave a long blast on the horn.
A trumpet blast announced the king.
nounsingularinformal
A very enjoyable experience or party.
Grammar: Used with a: we had a blast.
Patterns
- have a blast
- be a blast
We had a blast at the beach yesterday.
The school trip was a blast.
The kids had a blast on the water slide.
verbtransitive
To destroy or break something with an explosion, or to hit it with a strong force.
Grammar: Often followed by through, off or away: blast through the rock.
Patterns
- blast something open
- blast through something
Workers blasted a tunnel through the mountain.
The rocket blasted off at dawn.
The storm blasted the roof off the barn.
verbtransitiveinformal
To criticize someone or something very strongly in public.
Grammar: Common in news headlines.
Patterns
- blast someone for something
Critics blasted the movie for its weak story.
The mayor blasted the plan as wasteful.
Fans blasted the referee after the match.
verbtransitive or intransitiveinformal
To play music or make noise at a very high volume.
Grammar: The radio blasts, or you blast the radio.
Patterns
- blast music
- blast out
Someone was blasting loud music next door.
The speakers blasted out the national anthem.
He blasts the radio in his car.
Word forms
| plural | blasts |
|---|---|
| third person singular | blasts |
| past tense | blasted |
| past participle | blasted |
| -ing form | blasting |
Common combinations
- have a blast
- I hope you have a blast at the festival.
- bomb blast
- The bomb blast damaged several buildings.
- blast of air
- A blast of hot air came out of the oven.
- blast off
- The shuttle will blast off tomorrow.
- blast music
- They blast music in the car all the way.
- at full blast
- The heating was on at full blast.
Synonyms and how they differ
- explosion
- Explosion is the general word for a burst, while blast also points to the force and pressure wave it makes.
- gust
- Gust is a short rush of wind, and a blast is usually stronger and harsher.
- criticize
- Criticize is neutral and can be mild, but blast is much more forceful and public.
- fun
- Fun is the plain word for enjoyment, and a blast is a very strong or lively type of fun.
Opposites
Word family
- blaster noun
- a person or tool that blasts
- blasting noun
- the use of explosives to break rock
- blasted adjective
- used to show annoyance, as in this blasted car
- blast-off noun
- the moment a rocket takes off
Commonly confused: blast or blaze?
blast vs blaze
A blaze is a big, bright fire, while a blast is a sudden explosion or rush of air.
Practice
We went to the water park and had a ______; the whole day was great fun.
Choose one answer.
Have a blast is the informal expression for having a great time; blaze, blow and burst do not form this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blast”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.