Blow

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /bləʊ/
• Rhymes: -əʊ
• US IPA: /bloÊŠ/

From Middle English blo, bloo, from Old English blāw ("blue"), from Proto-Germanic *blēwaz ("blue, dark blue, grey, black"), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlēw- ("yellow, blond, grey"). Cognate with Latin flavus ("yellow"). More at blue.

Full definition of blow

Adjective

1. (now chiefly dialectal, Northern England) Blue.

From Middle English blowen, from Old English blāwan ("to blow, breathe, inflate, sound"), from Proto-Germanic *blēaną ("to blow") (compare German blähen), from Proto-Indo-European *bhle- ("to swell, blow up") (compare Latin flare ("to blow"), Old Armenian բեղուն ("fertile"), Albanian plas ("to blow, explode")).

Verb

1. (intransitive) To produce an air current.
• 1606, William Shakespeare, King Lear, act 3, sc. 2:"Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!"
• WaltonHark how it rains and blows!
2. (transitive) To propel by an air current.Blow the dust off that book and open it up.
3. (intransitive) To be propelled by an air current.The leaves blow through the streets in the fall.
4. (transitive) To create or shape by blowing; as in to blow bubbles, to blow glass.
5. To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means.to blow the fire
6. To clear of contents by forcing air through.to blow an eggto blow one's nose
7. (transitive) To cause to make sound by blowing, as a musical instrument.
8. (intransitive) To make a sound as the result of being blown.In the harbor, the ships' horns blew.
• MiltonThere let the pealing organ blow.
9. (intransitive, of a cetacean) To exhale visibly through the spout the seawater which it has taken in while feeding.There's nothing more thrilling to the whale watcher than to see a whale surface and blow.There she blows! (i.e. "I see a whale spouting!")
10. (intransitive) To explode.Get away from that burning gas tank! It's about to blow!
11. (transitive, with "up" or with prep phrase headed by "to") To cause to explode, shatter, or be utterly destroyed.The demolition squad neatly blew the old hotel up.The aerosol can was blown to bits.
12. (transitive) To cause sudden destruction of.He blew the tires and the engine.
13. (intransitive) To suddenly fail destructively.He tried to sprint, but his ligaments blew and he was barely able to walk to the finish line.
14. (intransitive, slang) To be very undesirable (see also suck).This blows!
15. (transitive, slang) To recklessly squander.I managed to blow $1000 at blackjack in under an hour.I blew $35 thou on a car.We blew an opportunity to get benign corporate sponsorship.
16. (transitive, vulgar) To fellate.Who did you have to blow to get those backstage passes?
17. (transitive) To leave.Let's blow this joint.
18. To make flyblown, to defile, especially with fly eggs.
• 1606, William Shakespeare, , Act V, scene 2, line 55.Shall they hoist me up,
  And show me to the shouting varletry
  Of censuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt
  Be gentle grave unto me, rather on Nilus' mud
  Lay me stark naked, and let the water-flies
  Blow me into abhorring!
• 1610, , by William Shakespeare, act 3 scene 1(FERDINAND)I am, in my condition,A prince, Miranda; I do think, a king;—I would not so!—and would no more endureThis wooden slavery than to sufferThe flesh-fly blow my mouth.
19. (obsolete) To spread by report; to publish; to disclose.
• DrydenThrough the court his courtesy was blown.
• WhitingHis language does his knowledge blow.
20. (obsolete) To inflate, as with pride; to puff up.
• ShakespeareLook how imagination blows him.
21. (intransitive) To breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff.
• ShakespeareHere is Mistress Page at the door, sweating and blowing.
22. (transitive) To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue.to blow a horse
23. (obsolete) To talk loudly; to boast; to storm.
• BartlettYou blow behind my back, but dare not say anything to my face.

Derived terms

Noun

1. A strong wind.We're having a bit of a blow this afternoon.
2. (informal) A chance to catch one’s breath.The players were able to get a blow during the last timeout.
3. (uncountable, US, slang) Cocaine.
4. (uncountable, UK, slang) Cannabis.
5. (uncountable, US Chicago Regional, slang) Heroin.

Middle English blowe, blaw, northern variant of blēwe, from Proto-Germanic *blewwaną 'to beat' (compare Old Norse blegði 'wedge', German bläuen, Middle Dutch blouwen). Related to block.

Noun

1. The act of striking or hitting.A fabricator is used to direct a sharp blow to the surface of the stone.During an exchange to end round 13, Duran landed a blow to the midsection.
2. A sudden or forcible act or effort; an assault.
• T. ArnoldA vigorous blow might win camp.
3. A damaging occurrence.A further blow to the group came in 1917 when Thomson died while canoeing in Algonquin Park.
• Shakespearea most poor man, made tame to fortune's blows
• 2011, April 15, Saj Chowdhury, Norwich 2 - 1 Nott'm Forest, Norwich returned to second in the Championship with victory over Nottingham Forest, whose promotion hopes were dealt another blow.

Synonyms

• (The act of striking) strike, hit, punch
• (A damaging occurrence) disaster, calamity

Derived terms

Middle English blowen, from Old English blōwan, from Proto-Germanic *blōaną (compare Dutch bloeien, German blühen), from Proto-Indo-European *bhel- 'to thrive, bloom' (compare Latin florēre 'to bloom').

Verb

1. To blossom; to cause to bloom or blossom.
• 1599, William Shakespeare, ,You seem to me as Diana (mythology) in her orb,As chaste as is the bud ere it be blown;
• 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost,How blows the citron grove.
• 1784, William Cowper, Tirocinium; or, A Review of SchoolsBoys are at best but pretty buds unblown,Whose scent and hues are rather guessed than known;

Related terms

• full-blown

Noun

1. A mass or display of flowers; a yield.
• unknown date Tatler:Such a blow of tulips.
2. A display of anything brilliant or bright.
3. A bloom, state of flowering.roses in full blow.

Related terms

• ablow

Anagrams

• bowl