Blockbusting
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A technique used to encourage people to sell their property by giving the impression that a neighborhood is changing for the worse, especially by implying a change in its racial makeup. US, uncountable
"Sonny W. Walker, another of the three black salesmen employed along with three whites by Concord Realty, 3524 Church Avenue, picked up the thread of Mr. Harris's bitter disclaimer that it took deliberate blockbusting—sometimes called panic redlining—to make whites move out of East Flatbush."
- 1 Having the characteristics of a blockbuster; hugely successful. not-comparable
"a blockbusting movie"
Example
More examples"Sonny W. Walker, another of the three black salesmen employed along with three whites by Concord Realty, 3524 Church Avenue, picked up the thread of Mr. Harris's bitter disclaimer that it took deliberate blockbusting—sometimes called panic redlining—to make whites move out of East Flatbush."
Etymology
From block + busting.
More for "blockbusting"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.