# blast

Pronunciation: US say "BLAST" /blæst/; UK say "BLAHST" /blɑːst/

## Noun

1. A powerful explosion, especially one set off to break apart rock or similar solid material.
   - Simple: A sudden explosion, often set off to break apart rock or other solid material.
   - _The controlled blast reduced the granite outcrop to rubble in seconds._
   - _Engineers timed the blast to collapse the old bridge safely._
2. A loud, sudden sound, such as one made by a horn, whistle, or trumpet.
   - Simple: A loud, sudden sound, like a sharp burst of noise.
   - _The ship announced its departure with three long blasts of its horn._
   - _A single blast of the referee's whistle stopped the match._
3. A thoroughly enjoyable, exciting time; an experience that leaves you feeling great. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A really fun time or enjoyable experience.
   - _Everyone said the reunion was an absolute blast._
   - _Learning to surf turned out to be a blast despite the cold water._
4. A severe verbal attack; a sharp criticism or reprimand directed at someone.
   - Simple: A strong, angry telling-off or sharp criticism.
   - _The review delivered a blast at the studio's lazy storytelling._
   - _Critics aimed their sharpest blast at the company's handling of the recall._
5. A violent gust of wind, or the rush of apparent wind felt around a fast-moving vehicle.
   - Simple: A sudden, strong rush of wind that hits hard.
   - _A sudden blast off the lake nearly capsized the small sailboat._
   - _Cyclists braced against the blast thrown out by passing trucks._
11. A forcible stream of gas or liquid driven out through an opening, such as from a bellows, a furnace, or a person's mouth.
   - Simple: A strong stream of gas or air pushed out through a narrow opening.
   - _A blast of compressed air cleared the dust from the machine._
   - _The smith directed a blast from the bellows into the coals._
12. A charge of explosive prepared and set in place to be detonated for blasting.
   - Simple: An amount of explosive prepared to be set off.
   - _The crew lowered the blast into the borehole and retreated._
   - _A misfired blast had to be carefully removed by hand._
13. A single promotional message sent simultaneously to everyone on a mailing list.
   - Simple: A single advertising message sent to everyone on a mailing list.
   - _Marketing scheduled the blast to go out the morning of the launch._
   - _Open rates for the holiday blast were higher than expected._
20. A draw or hit of a recreational drug taken from a pipe.
   - Simple: A single puff of a drug taken from a pipe.
   - _He leaned back after a long blast from the pipe._
   - _A single blast left him coughing for a full minute._
22. Exhaust steam from an engine that drives a column of air out of a boiler chimney, creating an intense draft through the fire; also, any draft so produced.
   - Simple: Steam from an engine that is forced up a chimney, pulling a strong rush of air through the fire.
   - _Engineers relied on the blast to keep the firebox burning hot._
   - _Each piston stroke sent a sharp blast up the smokestack._
23. A stream of air kept flowing through a single batch of ore or metal in a furnace.
   - Simple: A steady stream of air blown through ore or metal inside a furnace.
   - _A continuous blast forced air through the molten charge for hours._
   - _Foundry crews adjusted the blast to control the smelting._
24. Unwanted noise produced by a microphone.
   - Simple: Loud, unwanted noise that a microphone makes.
   - _The engineer cut a harsh blast out of the vocal track._
   - _Plosive sounds caused an ugly blast in the live feed._
26. A sudden harmful effect, as if produced by a noxious wind, especially on animals and plants; a blight.
   - Simple: A sudden harmful effect on plants or animals, as if caused by a poisonous wind.
   - _Farmers blamed the dead lambs on some unseen blast._
   - _A sudden blast swept through the vineyard and shriveled the vines._
27. An immature or undifferentiated cell, such as a lymphoblast or myeloblast.
   - Simple: A young, undeveloped cell that has not yet become a certain type.
   - _The pathologist counted the percentage of blasts in the marrow._
   - _An abnormal blast may signal the early onset of leukemia._
29. A period of taking a full dose of performance-enhancing drugs, as opposed to a phase of reduced intake. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A stretch of time when someone takes a high dose of performance-enhancing drugs, instead of a lower dose.
   - _Lifters often pack on size during a blast and hold it through a cruise._
   - _He planned a longer blast in the months before the competition._

## Verb

6. To criticize or reprimand someone severely; to discipline or punish with harsh words.
   - Simple: To criticize or scold someone in a strong, angry way.
   - _Editorials blasted the senator for reversing his promise._
   - _Fans blast the team's management whenever ticket prices rise._
7. To play music at very high volume through a speaker or sound system. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To play music very loudly through a speaker.
   - _Neighbors complained when she blasted dance tracks past midnight._
   - _They blast the stereo every time their team scores._
8. To break something apart into fragments, as though shattered by an explosion.
   - Simple: To break something into pieces, as an explosion would.
   - _Demolition crews blasted the concrete pillars into rubble._
   - _Engineers can blast a granite face into manageable chunks._
9. To open a hole in something by a sudden, forceful, and imprecise method, such as an explosion.
   - Simple: To make a hole in something using a sudden, forceful method like an explosion.
   - _Sappers blasted a breach in the fortress wall._
   - _Crews blast openings in the bedrock before pouring the foundations._
10. To produce a loud, sudden sound, as a horn, whistle, or alarm does.
   - Simple: To make a very loud, sudden sound.
   - _The foghorns blast across the harbor every few minutes._
   - _An alarm blasted the moment the door opened._
14. To bring destruction or ruin upon someone or something; to destroy them completely.
   - Simple: To destroy something or bring it to ruin.
   - _The collapse blasted decades of careful investment._
   - _One careless remark can blast a promising career._
15. To shoot something, especially with an energy weapon rather than one that fires solid projectiles.
   - Simple: To shoot something with an energy weapon, like a laser, not a gun that fires bullets.
   - _The marine blasted the creature as it lunged from the shadows._
   - _Pilots blast incoming fighters with the cruiser's forward cannons._
16. To make an impression on someone by producing a loud noise or din.
   - Simple: To impress or affect someone with a very loud noise.
   - _The fire engine's siren blasted the whole neighborhood awake._
   - _Marching bands blast spectators with sheer volume as they pass._
17. To fire a gun at a person or place, or to attack them with gunfire. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To shoot at someone or something with a gun.
   - _The gunman blasted the storefront before driving off._
   - _Rival crews blast back whenever they feel disrespected._
18. To kick the ball hard toward the goal in the hope of scoring.
   - Simple: To kick the ball hard at the goal, hoping to score.
   - _The striker blasted the ball past the diving keeper._
   - _Forwards often blast the ball from outside the box._
19. To call down a curse upon someone or something; to damn.
   - Simple: To curse someone or something, or wish harm on them.
   - _He blasted the gods for his endless misfortune._
   - _Travelers blast the weather that ruins their carefully laid plans._
25. To cause to wither or blight; to ruin the growth of a plant or crop.
   - Simple: To make a plant dry up and die.
   - _Disease blasted the wheat before it could be harvested._
   - _Harsh winds blast the tender shoots each spring._
28. To run a DNA or protein sequence through BLAST, a tool that finds similar sequences in a database. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To search for matching DNA or protein sequences using a computer tool called BLAST.
   - _The researcher blasted the new sequence against the genome database._
   - _Biologists routinely blast unknown sequences to identify them._
30. To go through a period of full PED dosage, as opposed to reducing intake during a cruise period. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To take a high dose of performance-enhancing drugs for a while, instead of cutting back.
   - _Many lifters blast in the off-season and cruise before competitions._
   - _He blasted hard for twelve weeks, then dropped to a maintenance dose._

## Interjection

21. An exclamation expressing sudden anger or disappointment. *(colloquial, British)*
   - Simple: A word you say when you are angry or upset about something.
   - _Blast! I've left my keys back at the office._
   - _We've missed the last bus home, blast it all._

## Other meanings

- (noun) An illness of sheep in which gas builds up and swells the stomach.
- (verb) To wither, shrivel, or be struck by blight, as a plant or crop.
- (verb) To sound a trumpet or similar instrument by forcing breath through it.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–5, 11–13, 20, 22–24, 26, 29** — From Middle English blast, from Old English blǣst ("blowing, blast"), which traces back to Proto-Germanic *blēstuz ("blowing, blast"). It is related to German blasen and Dutch blazen ("to blow").
**Meanings 6–10, 14–19, 21, 25, 30** — From Middle English blasten, from Old English blǣstan ("to blow, blast"), from Proto-Germanic *blēstijaną. It is possibly related to Middle High German blesten ("to stand out, plop, splash").
**Meaning 27** — From Ancient Greek βλαστός (blastós, "germ or sprout").
**Meaning 28** — From the acronym BLAST, standing for Basic Local Alignment Search Tool.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/blast (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).