I. blast 1 /blɑːst $ blæst/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: blæst ]
1 . AIR/WIND a sudden strong movement of wind or air
blast of
A blast of cold air swept through the hut.
2 . EXPLOSION an explosion, or the very strong movement of air that it causes
in the blast
Thirty-six people died in the blast.
bomb/shotgun/nuclear etc blast
A bomb blast completely destroyed the building.
3 . LOUD NOISE a sudden very loud noise, especially one made by a whistle or horn
blast on
The station master gave a blast on his whistle and we were off.
long/short blast
a long trumpet blast
4 . (at) full blast as powerfully or loudly as possible:
I had the gas fire going full blast.
The radio was on at full blast.
5 . FUN a blast informal an enjoyable and exciting experience:
The concert was a blast.
We had a blast at the fair.
6 . EMOTION a sudden strong expression of a powerful emotion
blast of
She was totally unprepared for the blast of criticism she received.
7 . a blast from the past informal something from the past that you remember, see, or hear again, and that reminds you of that time in your life:
That’s a blast from the past. No one has called me that for years.
II. blast 2 BrE AmE verb
1 . GUN/BOMB [transitive] to damage or destroy something, or to injure or kill someone, using a gun or a bomb
blast somebody with something
She blasted her husband with a shotgun because he was having an affair.
The first shot missed and blasted a hole in the far wall.
The plane was blasted out of the sky by a terrorist bomb.
2 . BREAK SOMETHING INTO PIECES [intransitive and transitive] to break something into pieces using explosives, especially in order to build something such as a road
blast something through something
A 1.5 km tunnel was blasted through the mountain.
blast something out of something
The road will have to be blasted out of solid rock.
blast through
Railway workers had blasted through the mountains 90 years before.
3 . LOUD NOISE ( also blast out ) [intransitive and transitive] to produce a lot of loud noise, especially music:
He was woken by the radio alarm clock blasting out rock music.
blast from
Dance music blasted from the stereo.
4 . CRITICIZE [transitive] to criticize someone or something very strongly – used especially in news reports
blast somebody for (doing) something
Union leaders blasted the government for failing to tackle the jobs crisis.
5 . KICK/HIT A BALL [transitive] to hit or kick a ball very hard:
With six minutes remaining, he blasted the ball through the Coleraine defences for his 19th goal of the season.
6 . AIR/WATER [intransitive and transitive] if air or water is blasted somewhere, or if it blasts somewhere, it moves there with great force:
The wind ripped through the trees and blasted a curtain of rain up the meadow.
Icy winds and driving snow blasted through the pine trees.
7 . SPORTS [transitive] American English informal to beat another team very easily:
The Seahawks were blasted 35–14 by the Broncos.
blast off phrasal verb
if a spacecraft blasts off, it leaves the ground
⇨ ↑ blast-off
III. blast 3 BrE AmE ( also ˌblast her/it etc ) interjection
used when you are very annoyed about something:
Oh blast! I’ve forgotten my key.