estallar
verbCEFR B2
What does “estallar” mean in English?
to burst, to erupt
to burst, to erupt (intransitive; of conflict, crisis, or emotion breaking out suddenly; estallar en + noun)
Example sentences
El conflicto estalló cuando las negociaciones se rompieron de forma definitiva tras meses de tensiones crecientes.
The conflict broke out when the negotiations collapsed definitively after months of growing tensions.
Al escuchar el veredicto, la sala entera estalló en aplausos que duraron varios minutos.
On hearing the verdict, the entire room burst into applause that lasted several minutes.
La burbuja inmobiliaria estalló en 2008 con consecuencias devastadoras para miles de familias.
The housing bubble burst in 2008 with devastating consequences for thousands of families.
How to use it
Estallar means 'to burst', 'to explode', or 'to break out'. It is intransitive. Three main senses at B2: (1) physical explosion (estalló una bomba — a bomb exploded); (2) sudden violent outbreak of a social phenomenon (estalló la guerra — war broke out, estalló una crisis — a crisis erupted); (3) emotional outburst (estalló en llanto — burst into tears, estalló de risa — burst out laughing). All three senses follow the same grammar: subject + estalló. The key B2 uses are sense 2 and 3, which are most common in formal writing and spoken narrative.
Common mistake
Estallar (intransitive — things burst/explode) vs. explotar (can be transitive — to explode something, or intransitive — to blow up). Estallar is always intransitive and implies the sudden bursting outward of something that had been building. Estallar en (burst into) is a key idiom: estallar en llanto, en risas, en aplausos. Don't confuse estallar with reventar (to burst/pop — more physical, often smaller scale: reventó un neumático = a tyre burst).