blockbuster
blockbuster Lexical Profile
blockbuster Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A movie, book, or other cultural product that achieves immense popularity and enormous financial success.
"The summer movie season is typically dominated by big-budget action blockbusters."
A pharmaceutical drug that generates more than one billion dollars in annual revenue for its manufacturer.
"The biotech firm's latest cholesterol medication quickly became a global blockbuster."
A very large, high-explosive aerial bomb capable of destroying an entire city block.
"Historical archives detail how wartime factories manufactured heavy blockbusters during the 1940s."
• adjective
Achieving or designed to achieve massive commercial success, widespread popularity, or a major impact.
"The museum's blockbuster exhibition attracted over a million visitors in just three months."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined during World War II by the press to describe high-capacity aerial bombs used by the Royal Air Force that were powerful enough to demolish an entire city block. By the late 1940s and 1950s, the term had shifted metaphorically into the entertainment industry to describe movies and theatrical productions of explosive commercial success.