We show that blow up of solutions with arbitrary positive initial energy of the Cauchy problem for the abstract wacve eqation of the form $Pu_{tt}+Au=F(u) (*)$ in a Hilbert space, where $P,A$ are positive linear operators and $F(cdot)$ is a continuo
usly differentiable gradient operator can be obtained from the result of H.A. Levine on the growth of solutions of the Cauchy problem for (*). This result is applied to the study of inital boundary value problems for nonlinear Klein-Gordon equations, generalized Boussinesq equations and nonlinear plate equations. A result on blow up of solutions with positive initial energy of the initial boundary value problem for wave equation under nonlinear boundary condition is also obtained.
