blockbuster

noun

Etymology: From block + buster, referring originally to aerial bombs capable of destroying a whole block of buildings.

1. A high-explosive bomb used for the purposes of demolishing extensive areas, such as a city block.
2. Something, such as a film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales, as opposed to a box office bomb.

   “He was watching the blockbuster film series Harry Potter.”

3. Something, especially an event or a film, book or other creative work, that is intended to achieve high sales (perhaps indicated by large budgets or high advertising spending) or that is conceived on a large or epic scale

   “"General William Booth Enters into Heaven" is lusty, a blockbuster conception.”

   “The report noted that 'an increasing public appetite for large "blockbuster" musicals is a firmly established feature of London’s West End theatre scene'.”

4. Anything very large or powerful; a whopper.

   ““How nice," she responded to his invitation, “but I've got a blockbuster of a headache. I'm paying for last night. Call me tomorrow, will you?"”

   “Many—such as plants' relationships with mycorrhizal fungi—have been blockbuster moments in the history of life, with world-changing consequences.”

5. A large firework of the firecracker type; an M-80.
6. One who engages in blockbusting (technique encouraging people to sell property).

   “Whereas White residents fell prey to blockbusters who stoked fears of invading Negroes and plummeting housing values during the 1950s, African Americans confronted more-than-imagined difficulties in neighborhoods after the 1968 riots.”