blow
22 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of BLOW
1
a
[no object]
of air, wind, etc.
:
to move with speed or force
-
The wind was blowing earlier but it's not blowing now. [=there was wind earlier but there isn't any wind now]
-
The wind is blowing hard. = It's blowing hard outside.
-
The storm is blowing hard/fiercely. = It's blowing up a storm.
-
A cool breeze blew through the open window.
-
The wind was blowing from the north.
b
[+ object]
:
to cause (air or something carried by air) to move
-
The fan blew the air.
-
The fan blew the smoke out the window.
c
:
to be moved or affected in a specified way by the wind
[no object]
-
The door blew open/shut in the wind.
-
The papers blew all over the place!
-
The sign blew down/over.
-
The leaves were blowing around in the wind.
-
His hat blew off/away in the wind.
[+ object]
-
The breeze blew my wet hair dry.
-
The wind blew the door open/shut.
-
The wind blew the sign down/over.
-
The wind blew the ship off course.
-
A gust of wind blew the papers all over the room.
-
The wind blew his hat off/away.
2
a
:
to create a current of moving air by breathing
[no object]
-
She blew on her fingers to warm them.
-
He was blowing on his soup to cool it off.
[+ object]
-
She blew air into the balloon.
b
[+ object]
:
to produce or shape (something, such as a bubble) by blowing air
—
see also glassblowing
-
The clown was blowing bubbles for the children.
-
blow beautiful shapes out of glass = blow glass into beautiful shapes
3
a
[no object]
of a musical instrument, whistle, etc.
:
to produce a loud sound
-
The trumpet/whistle blew loudly.
-
The siren blew. [=sounded]
b
[+ object]
:
to play or produce a sound with (a musical instrument, whistle, etc.)
-
blow a trumpet
-
blow a whistle
-
blow a siren
4
:
to damage or destroy (something) with an explosion
— sometimes used figuratively
—
see also blow up (below)
[+ object]
-
The terrorists rigged a bomb to blow [=(more commonly) blow up] the bridge.
-
The explosion blew his leg off. = The explosion blew off his leg.
-
The explosion blew out the window.
-
The burglar blew the safe open with dynamite.
-
The bomb blew the bridge to bits/smithereens. [=the bomb completely destroyed the bridge]
[no object]
-
They ran away when they realized that the bridge was about to blow. [=(more commonly) blow up, explode]
-
The window blew out in the explosion.
-
The safe blew open when the burglar dynamited it.
-
The election has been blown wide open by the revelation that one of the candidates was lying.
-
The prosecution's case was blown apart by new evidence.
5
:
to cause (a tire) to suddenly lose air and become flat
— often + out
— often + out
—
see also blowout 1
[+ object]
-
He drove over a nail and blew a tire.
-
The car blew out a tire.
[no object]
-
The car crashed because one of its tires had blown.
-
One of the car's tires blew out.
6
of an electric fuse
:
to melt and stop the flow of electricity when an electric current is too strong
—
see also blow a fuse at 1fuse
[no object]
-
The light went off because a fuse had blown.
[+ object]
-
What blew the fuse?
7
[+ object]
:
to clear (your nose) by forcing air through it quickly
-
He blew his nose into his handkerchief.
8
[+ object]
informal
:
to spend or waste (a large amount of money) in a foolish way
-
He blew his whole paycheck on a horse that finished last.
9
[+ object]
informal
a
:
to make a mistake in doing or handling (something)
-
The actress blew her lines. [=she said her lines incorrectly]
b
:
to lose or miss (an opportunity) by acting in a stupid or clumsy way
-
He blew an opportunity to make a lot of money in the stock market.
-
I blew my chance for a big promotion.
-
They should have won the game but they blew it.
-
“I have a job interview tomorrow.” “Well, don't blow it.”
-
I was late for the job interview and that blew it for me. [=that caused me not to get the job]
10
[+ object]
US, informal
:
to leave (a place) very quickly
-
Let's blow this joint.
-
He packed his bags and blew town [=left town] without even saying goodbye.
11
always followed by an adverb or preposition,
[+ object]
US, informal
:
to throw (a ball) with great force and speed
-
The pitcher blew a fastball by/past the batter.
12
British, informal
— used to express surprise, annoyance, etc.
-
He washed the dishes? Well blow me down!
-
Blow it! I forgot to buy milk.
blow a gasket
blow away
[phrasal verb]
1
blow (someone) away
or
blow away (someone)
informal
:
to kill (someone) by shooting
-
a gangster who got blown away by a hit man
2
:
to impress (someone) in a very strong and favorable way
-
I was really blown away by her latest movie.
3
US
:
to defeat (someone) very badly
-
They blew their rivals away in the first game 34–7.
blow hot and cold
:
to change repeatedly from liking or favoring something to not liking or favoring it
-
Local residents have been blowing hot and cold on the question of whether to build a new school.
blow in
[phrasal verb] informal
:
to arrive in a sudden or unexpected way
-
He just blew in, asking for a place to stay.
blow into
[phrasal verb]
blow into (a place)
informal
:
to arrive at (a place) in a sudden or unexpected way
-
He just blew into town and needs a place to stay.
blown out of proportion
blow off
[phrasal verb] US, informal
1
blow (someone) off
or
blow off (someone)
a
:
to refuse to notice or deal with (someone)
:
to ignore (someone)
-
I tried to say hello to him, but he just blew me off.
b
:
to fail to meet (someone) at an expected time
-
He was supposed to meet me for lunch but he blew me off.
2
blow (something) off
or
blow off (something)
:
to fail to attend or show up for (something)
-
He blew off an official dinner.
blow off (some) steam
blow out
[phrasal verb]
1
blow out
or
blow (something) out
or
blow out (something)
:
to go out or to cause (something, such as a candle) to go out by blowing
-
There was a sudden gust of wind and the candles blew out.
-
She blew out the candles on her birthday cake.
-
The wind blew out the candle.
blow over
[phrasal verb] of a storm
:
to come to an end
:
stop
— often used figuratively
-
The storm eventually blew over. [=blew itself out, ended]
-
The scandal blew over and was forgotten in a few months.
blow smoke
blow (someone) a kiss
blow someone's brains out
blow someone's cover
blow someone's mind
blow the gaff
blow the whistle
blow up
[phrasal verb]
1
blow (something) up
or
blow up (something)
:
to fill (something) with air or gas
:
inflate
-
blow up a balloon
-
blow up a tire
2
blow up
or
blow (something) up
or
blow up (something)
a
:
to explode or to cause (something, such as a bomb) to explode
-
The bomb blew up.
-
blow up a bomb
b
:
to be destroyed or to destroy (something) by an explosion
— sometimes used figuratively
-
The bridge blew up (in the explosion).
-
The soldiers blew up the bridge with a bomb.
-
The whole situation has blown up in his face [=has gone terribly wrong] and he may well be fired!
3
:
to become very angry
-
The boss blew up when the shipment arrived late.
4
blow (something) up
or
blow up (something)
:
to make (a photograph) larger
:
to make (something) seem larger or more important than it really is
:
exaggerate
-
We had the photograph blown up for framing.
-
It was just a trivial mistake that got blown up into something much worse. [=got greatly exaggerated]
5
of the wind, a storm, etc.
:
to begin blowing
—
see also blowup
-
A wind blew up but quickly subsided.
-
A storm blew up suddenly.
blow your cool
blow your own horn
blow your own trumpet
blow your top
informal or US blow your stack
:
to become very angry
-
Mom really blew her top when she found out I'd wrecked the car.
2
blow
/ˈbloʊ/
noun
plural
blows
2
blow
/ˈbloʊ/
noun
plural
blows
Britannica Dictionary definition of BLOW
[count]
1
:
a strong wind
-
If the weather reports are right, we're in for a good blow tonight. [=there will be a strong wind tonight; the wind will blow hard tonight]
2
:
the act of blowing something (such as your nose)
-
He gave his nose a good blow. [=he blew his nose]
3
blow
/ˈbloʊ/
noun
plural
blows
3
blow
/ˈbloʊ/
noun
plural
blows
Britannica Dictionary definition of BLOW
[count]
1
:
a hard hit using a part of the body or an object
—
see also body blow, low blow
-
He delivered a mighty blow with a club.
-
a blow with a hammer = a hammer blow
-
I caught/got him with a heavy blow in the third round. = I landed a heavy blow on him in the third round.
-
The two boxers exchanged blows. [=hit each other]
-
The boxer rained blows on his opponent's head. [=the boxer hit his opponent's head many times]
-
The falling tile struck him with a glancing blow on the head. [=hit his head with less than full force and fell off to one side]
2
a
:
something that is done to fight for or against something
-
They struck a blow for freedom and against tyranny. [=they did something that helped freedom and opposed tyranny]
b
:
a sudden event that causes trouble, damage, sorrow, etc.
-
Hopes of peace received a mortal blow when negotiations were blocked.
-
The injury to their best player was a serious blow to the team's chances. [=the injury did serious harm to the team's chances]
-
The death of his wife was a terrible/shattering blow from which he never really recovered.
-
She was disappointed not to get the job, but the promise of another job cushioned/softened the blow. [=the promise of another job made her disappointment less painful or severe]
come to blows
:
to begin fighting
:
to begin hitting each other
-
They almost came to blows during their argument.
