blowback
Britishnoun
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the escape to the rear of gases formed during the firing of a weapon or in a boiler, internal-combustion engine, etc
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the action of a light automatic weapon in which the expanding gases of the propellant force back the bolt, thus reloading the weapon
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even powerful women can’t escape the blowback, the fear.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
That being said, Sekera believes investors still need to keep an eye out for the potential economic blowback from the conflict.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
Or as the progressive writer Matt Stoller tweeted over the weekend in a thread about the war’s political blowback, “I do not know why people assume Trump will be in office for much longer.”
From Slate • Mar. 23, 2026
Most mainstream analysts had thought a direct hit on Iran’s oil export infrastructure was unlikely because it would risk a sharp price spike, higher gasoline prices, and wider regional blowback.
From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026
He zinged her with that one, and even though it was super petty, all of us were yikes-ing from the blowback.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.