BLOWBACK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does blowback mean? 

• BLOWBACK (noun)
  The noun BLOWBACK has 2 senses:

1. the backward escape of gases and unburned gunpowder after a gun is fired

2. misinformation resulting from the recirculation into the source country of disinformation previously planted abroad by that country's intelligence service

  Familiarity information: BLOWBACK used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BLOWBACK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The backward escape of gases and unburned gunpowder after a gun is fired

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

backfire; blowback

Hypernyms ("blowback" is a kind of...):

blowup; detonation; explosion (a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "blowback"):

back-blast; backblast (backfire from a recoilless weapon)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Misinformation resulting from the recirculation into the source country of disinformation previously planted abroad by that country's intelligence service

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("blowback" is a kind of...):

misinformation (information that is incorrect)