Meanings
plural blockbusters
- informalSomething, such as a film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales, as opposed to a box office bomb.
He was watching the blockbuster film series Harry Potter.
- informalSomething, 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
"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 1461 more example
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 - slangAnything very large or powerful; a whopper.
“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 3833 more examples
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 211In 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, →ISSN, archived from the original on 23 Jul 2021The 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.
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 - A large firework of the firecracker type; an M-80.
- USOne who engages in blockbusting (technique encouraging people to sell property).
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
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan unusually successful hit with widespread popularity and huge sales (especially a movie or play or recording or novel)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From block + buster, referring originally to aerial bombs capable of destroying a whole block of buildings.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic بْلُوكْبَاسْتَر
- بْلُوكْبَاسْتَر (blūkbāstar)film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Bulgarian блокбъ́стър
- блокбъ́стър (blokbắstăr)film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Chinese Mandarin 巨型炸彈 /巨型炸弹, 巨片
- 巨型炸彈 /巨型炸弹 (jùxíng zhàdàn)high-explosive bomb
- 巨片 (jùpiān)film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- 大片 (dàpiān)film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- 風靡一時的事物 /风靡一时的事物 (fēngmí yīshí de shìwù)film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Czech trhák
- trhákfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Dutch kaskraker
- kaskrakerfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Finnish korttelipommi, jymymenestys
- korttelipommihigh-explosive bomb
- jymymenestysfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
French blockbuster
- blockbusterfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
German Luftmine, Minenbombe
- Luftminehigh-explosive bomb
- Minenbombehigh-explosive bomb
- Wohnblockknackerhigh-explosive bomb
- Blockbusterfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- Verkaufsschlagerfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- Kassenknüllerfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- Knüllerfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- Hitfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- Kassenschlagerfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- Rennerfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- Bestsellerfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- Straßenfegerfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Greek μπλοκμπάστερ
- μπλοκμπάστερ (blokmpáster)film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Hindi ब्लॉकबस्टर
- ब्लॉकबस्टर (blŏkbasṭar)film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Hungarian kasszasiker, bombasiker
- kasszasikerfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- bombasikerfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- rendkívül sikeres műfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Italian successo commerciale
- successo commercialefilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Japanese ブロックバスター, ブロックバスター
- ブロックバスター (burokubasutā)high-explosive bomb
- ブロックバスター (burokubasutā)film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Korean 블록버스터
- 블록버스터 (beullokbeoseuteo)film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Lithuanian kultinis serialas
- kultinis serialasfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Polish blockbuster, hit
- blockbusterfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- hitfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- przebójfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Portuguese arrasa-quarteirão
- arrasa-quarteirãofilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Russian фуга́сная бо́мба, блокба́стер
- фуга́сная бо́мба (fugásnaja bómba)high-explosive bomb
- блокба́стер (blokbástɛr)film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Spanish bombazo, taquillazo
- bombazohigh-explosive bomb
- taquillazofilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- bombazofilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- blockbusterfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- superventasfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Swedish kvartersbomb, knallsucce
- kvartersbombhigh-explosive bomb
- knallsuccefilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
- kassasuccéfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Ukrainian блокба́стер
- блокба́стер (blokbáster)film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Vietnamese bom tấn
- bom tấnfilm or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
Cite this entry
blockbuster. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blockbuster
“blockbuster.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blockbuster. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “blockbuster,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blockbuster.
Source: blockbuster on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.