blow

I UK [bləʊ] / US [bloʊ] verb
Word forms "blow":
present tense I/you/we/they blow he/she/it blows present participle blowing past tense blew UK [bluː] / US [blu] past participle blown UK [bləʊn] / US [bloʊn]
***

1)

a) [intransitive] if wind or air blows, the air moves

A strong wind was blowing across the moors.

There's an awful draught blowing in through this window.

b) [intransitive/transitive] if something blows or is blown somewhere, the wind moves it there

The wind was blowing snow along the street.

A man died after being blown into the sea.

Newspapers and plastic bags were blowing about in the wind.

A strong gust of wind blew his hat off his head.

2) [intransitive] to push out air from your mouth

He bent towards the candle and blew gently.

If your soup's too hot, blow on it.

a) [transitive] to move something by pushing out air from your mouth

blow something off/away:

She picked up a book and blew the dust off it.

b) [transitive] to form something by pushing out air from your mouth

blow bubbles:

Two little boys were sitting on the steps, blowing bubbles.

blow glass:

Visitors can watch the men blowing glass in the workshop.

3) [intransitive/transitive] to make a sound by pushing air through something such as a whistle or a musical instrument

The guard blew his whistle and the train started.

4) [intransitive/transitive] if something electrical blows, it stops working, usually because too much electricity has passed through it

The light bulb in the projector had blown.

A power surge blew all the fuses, and the house was plunged into darkness.

5) blow or blow out

[intransitive/transitive] if a tyre blows, or if you blow it, it bursts

Kathy was turning the corner when one of the front tyres blew.

6) [transitive] informal to destroy your own chance of succeeding, or to waste a good opportunity

I've completely blown my diet with that piece of chocolate cake.

blow it:

We were in with a good chance for that contract but you've really blown it now!

7) [transitive] informal to spend a lot of money quickly on things that you do not need

He inherited a fortune but blew it on bad investments and a luxurious lifestyle.

8) [transitive] American very informal to leave a place quickly

Let's blow this joint.

•

blow a fuse/gasket — informal to suddenly become very angry

The trouble with Roy is he's likely to blow a fuse and hit someone.

blow (it) — British

informal old-fashioned used when you are annoyed about something, or for saying in an annoyed way that you do not care about something

Oh blow it! Now I'll have to start all over again.

blow (someone) a kiss — to kiss your hand and pretend to blow or throw the kiss to someone

blow someone/something out of the water — informal to show that something is completely false or wrong; informal to defeat someone easily

We found evidence that blew his case out of the water.

They think they can blow their rivals out of the water with this product.

blow your (own) trumpet — British to proudly tell other people about your own achievements and successes

I don't want to blow my own trumpet, but I think it's pretty good.

blow (someone) a raspberry — British to make a rude sound by putting your tongue through your lips and blowing

blow something to bits/pieces — to completely destroy something in an explosion, so that it breaks into many small pieces

The entire car was blown to bits when the device went off.

blow your top/stack — informal to suddenly become very angry

The boss will blow his top when he hears about this.

- blow someone's brains out

- blow someone's cover

- blow a gale

- blow someone's head off

- blow a hole in something

- blow the lid off something

- blow me

- blow someone's mind

- blow your nose

- blow the whistle

Phrasal verbs:

- blow apart

- blow away

- blow down

- blow in

- blow off

- blow out

- blow over

- blow up

See:

cobweb, gaff, hot I, proportion, sky-high, steam I

II UK [bləʊ] / US [bloʊ] noun [countable]
Word forms "blow":
singular blow plural blows
**

1) a hard hit from someone's hand or an object

The victim was apparently killed by a blow to the head with a heavy object.

They knocked him down and pummelled him with blows.

2)

a) an event that spoils your chances of success

Losing a second match would be a major blow to his world title hopes.

deal a blow to something:

The closure of the factory dealt a devastating blow to the local economy.

b) an event that causes you to feel very sad, disappointed, or shocked

a real blow:

Her mother's death was a real blow to her.

come as a blow:

It came as a bit of a blow when he found out she was married.

3) an act of blowing air from your mouth or nose

•

- come to blows

See:

cushion II, soften, strike I