The AI-powered English dictionary
plural blockbusters
A high-explosive bomb used for the purposes of demolishing extensive areas, such as a city block. examples
(informal) 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
(informal) 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 quotations examples
"General William Booth Enters into Heaven" is lusty, a blockbuster conception.
1961, “Ives”, in Twentieth Century Music In The Western Hemisphere, J. B. Lippincott, page 146
The report noted that 'an increasing public appetite for large "blockbuster" musicals is a firmly established feature of London’s West End theatre scene'.
1994, “Drama”, in Whitaker's Almanack, 1994, page 1135
(slang) Anything very large or powerful; a whopper. quotations
“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?"
1998, Yves Beauchemin, The Second Fiddle, page 383
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.
2021 July 21, Neil Irwin, “Is the U.S. Economy Too Hot or Too Cold? Yes.”, in The New York Times
Many—such as plants' relationships with mycorrhizal fungi—have been blockbuster moments in the history of life, with world-changing consequences.
2020, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, page 211
A large firework of the firecracker type; an M-80. examples
(US) One who engages in blockbusting (technique encouraging people to sell property). quotations examples
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.
2016, Sabiyha Prince, African Americans and Gentrification in Washington, D.C., page 106