blockbuster
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈblɒkˌbʌs.tə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈblɑkˌbʌs.tɚ/
Forms: form: blockbusters
Etymology: From block + buster, referring originally to aerial bombs capable of destroying a whole block of buildings.
Senses: glosses: A high-explosive bomb used for the purposes of demolishing extensive areas, such as a city block.
examples: text: He was watching the blockbuster film series Harry Potter.
glosses: Something, such as a film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales, as opposed to a box office bomb.
examples: text: "General William Booth Enters into Heaven" is lusty, a blockbuster conception.
ref: 1961, “Ives”, in Twentieth Century Music In The Western Hemisphere, J. B. Lippincott, page 146:
text: The report noted that 'an increasing public appetite for large "blockbuster" musicals is a firmly established feature of London’s West End theatre scene'.
ref: 1994, “Drama”, in Whitaker's Almanack, 1994, page 1135:
glosses: Something, especially an event or a film, book or other creative work, that is intended to achieve high sales (perhaps indicated by large budgets or high advertising spending) or that is conceived on a large or epic scale
examples: text: “How nice," she responded to his invitation, “but I've got a blockbuster of a headache. I'm paying for last night. Call me tomorrow, will you?"
ref: 1998, Yves Beauchemin, The Second Fiddle, page 383:
text: Many—such as plants' relationships with mycorrhizal fungi—have been blockbuster moments in the history of life, with world-changing consequences.
ref: 2020, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, page 211:
text: In the mid-2021 economy, employers are offering higher pay to attract scarce workers; airports and car lots are bustling; and a G.D.P. report due out next week will probably show blockbuster growth.
ref: 2021 July 21, Neil Irwin, “Is the U.S. Economy Too Hot or Too Cold? Yes.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 23 Jul 2021:
text: The trove of documents from half a dozen federal agencies in recent days are a direct result of a blockbuster Supreme Court decision last month that allowed the administration to develop plans for ending birthright citizenship – even though the effort has once again been placed on hold.
ref: 2025 July 28, Devan Cole, John Fritze, Priscilla Alvarez, “New documents show how passport and Social Security rules would change to enforce Trump’s birthright citizenship order”, in CNN:
glosses: Anything very large or powerful; a whopper.
glosses: A large firework of the firecracker type; an M-80.
examples: text: Whereas White residents fell prey to blockbusters who stoked fears of invading Negroes and plummeting housing values during the 1950s, African Americans confronted more-than-imagined difficulties in neighborhoods after the 1968 riots.
ref: 2016, Sabiyha Prince, African Americans and Gentrification in Washington, D.C., page 106:
glosses: One who engages in blockbusting (technique encouraging people to sell property).
Derived terms: blockbuster drug
blockbusterish
blockbusterize
bonkbuster
knockbuster
megablockbuster
mockbuster
nonblockbuster
schlockbuster
Related terms: word: block
word: blockbust
word: bunker buster
word: bust
word: dambuster