blasting

Meanings

1. 1noununcountabletechnical

   The use of explosives to break up rock, buildings or other hard material.

   Grammar: Uncountable: blasting is dangerous work.

   Patterns

   • blasting in something
   • blasting of something

   Blasting at the quarry begins at noon every day.

   The engineers warned residents about nearby blasting.

   Careful blasting cleared the rock for the new tunnel.

2. 2verbtransitive or intransitiveinformal

   Producing a very loud sound, usually music, or making a sudden strong stream of air, water or sound.

   Grammar: Used as the -ing form: the radio was blasting.

   Patterns

   • blasting something
   • blasting out of something

   Music was blasting from the car next door all night.

   He kept blasting his horn at the slow driver.

   The speakers were blasting so loudly the windows shook.

3. 3verbtransitiveinformal

   Criticizing someone or something very harshly in public.

   Grammar: Takes an object: blasting the plan.

   Patterns

   • blasting someone for something

   The press kept blasting the minister over the delay.

   She was blasting the new policy in her speech.

   Fans were blasting the referee on social media.

Common combinations

blasting music

They were blasting music at the party.

blasting a horn

He was blasting his horn in the traffic.

rock blasting

Rock blasting shook the nearby houses.

blasting cap

The workers handled the blasting caps with care.

blasting out of the speakers

The song was blasting out of the speakers.

Synonyms and how they differ

booming

Booming describes a deep, resonant sound, while blasting stresses loudness and force.

blaring

Blaring suggests an unpleasantly loud, harsh sound, and is closer to blasting for noise.

criticizing

Criticizing is the plain and neutral word, while blasting adds a sense of fierce public attack.

exploding

Exploding means bursting violently, while blasting can mean controlled use of explosives.

Opposites

Word family

blast noun

a strong gust or an explosion

blast verb

to destroy with explosives or make a loud noise

blaster noun

a device or person that blasts

blasted adjective

used to express annoyance, as in this blasted car

Commonly confused: blasting or blasphemy?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “blasting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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