What does "blowback" mean?
A type of action where the pressure from the fired cartridge blows a sliding mechanism backward to extract the fired cartridge, chamber another cartridge, and cock the hammer.
Blowback
noun, slang
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A type of action where the pressure from the fired cartridge blows a sliding mechanism backward to extract the fired cartridge, chamber another cartridge, and cock the hammer.
- Grammar: blowback is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: backfire.
- Usage evidence: The Israeli UZI submachine gun, one the most easily recognized examples of a blowback firearm, is well known for its simplicity, ease of manufacture, low maintenance, and utter reliability.
How to use "blowback"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "blowback" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "blowback" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "blowback" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "blowback" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "blowback" is acting as noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "backfire" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "blowback", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A type of action where the pressure from the fired cartridge blows a sliding mechanism backward to extract the fired cartridge, chamber another cartridge, and cock the hammer. countable, uncountable
"The Israeli UZI submachine gun, one the most easily recognized examples of a blowback firearm, is well known for its simplicity, ease of manufacture, low maintenance, and utter reliability."
- 2 Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge. wordnet
- 3 An unintended adverse result, especially of covert political action. countable, uncountable
"All of the other retired C.I.A. officers who appeared before the subcommittee today acknowledged that the problem of the “domestic blowback” of agency propaganda had been a genuine problem, out most of them dismissed the mounting concern over C.I.A.'s past employment of American journalists as misguided."
- 4 misinformation resulting from the recirculation into the source country of disinformation previously planted abroad by that country's intelligence service wordnet
- 5 The act of shotgunning (inhaling from a pipe etc. and exhaling into another smoker's mouth). countable, slang, uncountable
"Paranoid I was being ripped off, I 'tested' the potency of the skunk on a wasp by trapping it under a glass, and giving it a blowback."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 the backward escape of gases and unburned gunpowder after a gun is fired wordnet
- 7 On a steam locomotive, the reversal of exhaust gases when the regulator is closed without using the blower. countable, uncountable
"The Boulogne stop lasted a few minutes, during which I was surprised to see no use was made of the blower. In this country, if you shut the regulator without the blower on, the odds are there will be a blowback."
- 8 Synonym of backscatter. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The Israeli UZI submachine gun, one the most easily recognized examples of a blowback firearm, is well known for its simplicity, ease of manufacture, low maintenance, and utter reliability."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "blowback"?
Common synonyms include: backfire.
How do you use "blowback" in a sentence?
The Israeli UZI submachine gun, one the most easily recognized examples of a blowback firearm, is well known for its simplicity, ease of manufacture, low maintenance, and utter reliability.
Etymology
Deverbal from blow back.