blow Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon
    • a blow on the head
  2. noun an impact (as from a collision)
    bump.
    • the bump threw him off the bicycle
  3. noun an unfortunate happening that hinders or impedes; something that is thwarting or frustrating
    setback; reverse; reversal; black eye.
  4. noun an unpleasant or disappointing surprise
    shock.
    • it came as a shock to learn that he was injured
  5. noun a strong current of air
    gust; blast.
    • the tree was bent almost double by the gust
  6. noun street names for cocaine
    C; coke; nose candy; snow.
  7. noun forceful exhalation through the nose or mouth
    puff.
    • he gave his nose a loud blow
    • he blew out all the candles with a single puff
  8. verb exhale hard
    • blow on the soup to cool it down
  9. verb be blowing or storming
    • The wind blew from the West
  10. verb free of obstruction by blowing air through
    • blow one's nose
  11. verb be in motion due to some air or water current
    be adrift; float; drift.
    • The leaves were blowing in the wind
    • the boat drifted on the lake
    • The sailboat was adrift on the open sea
    • the shipwrecked boat drifted away from the shore
  12. verb make a sound as if blown
    • The whistle blew
  13. verb shape by blowing
    • Blow a glass vase
  14. verb make a mess of, destroy or ruin
    muck up; foul up; botch up; botch; bollix; fumble; mishandle; bollocks; bumble; ball up; bobble; bollocks up; spoil; bollix up; fuck up; fluff; flub; bodge; muff; louse up; mess up; screw up; bungle.
    • I botched the dinner and we had to eat out
    • the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement
  15. verb spend thoughtlessly; throw away
    waste; squander.
    • He wasted his inheritance on his insincere friends
    • You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced degree
  16. verb spend lavishly or wastefully on
    • He blew a lot of money on his new home theater
  17. verb sound by having air expelled through a tube
    • The trumpets blew
  18. verb play or sound a wind instrument
    • She blew the horn
  19. verb provide sexual gratification through oral stimulation
    go down on; fellate; suck.
  20. verb cause air to go in, on, or through
    • Blow my hair dry
  21. verb cause to move by means of an air current
    • The wind blew the leaves around in the yard
  22. verb spout moist air from the blowhole
    • The whales blew
  23. verb leave; informal or rude
    shove off; shove along.
    • shove off!
    • The children shoved along
    • Blow now!
  24. verb lay eggs
    • certain insects are said to blow
  25. verb cause to be revealed and jeopardized
    • The story blew their cover
    • The double agent was blown by the other side
  26. verb show off
    boast; gasconade; gas; brag; tout; swash; bluster; shoot a line; vaunt.
  27. verb allow to regain its breath
    • blow a horse
  28. verb melt, break, or become otherwise unusable
    blow out; burn out.
    • The lightbulbs blew out
    • The fuse blew
  29. verb burst suddenly
    • The tire blew
    • We blew a tire

WordNet

Blow intransitive verb
Etymology
OE. blowen, AS. blwan to blossom; akin to OS. bljan, D. bloeijen, OHG. pluojan, MHG. blejen, G. blühen, L. florere to flourish, OIr. blath blossom. Cf. Blow to puff, Flourish.
Wordforms
imperfect Blew ; past participle Blown ; present participle & verbal noun Blowing
Definitions
  1. To flower; to blossom; to bloom.
    How blows the citron grove. Milton.
Blow transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To cause to blossom; to put forth (blossoms or flowers).
    The odorous banks, that blow Flowers of more mingled hue. Milton.
Blow noun
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A blossom; a flower; also, a state of blossoming; a mass of blossoms. "Such a blow of tulips." Tatler.
Blow noun
Etymology
OE. blaw, blowe; cf. OHG. bliuwan, pliuwan, to beat, G. bläuen, Goth. bliggwan.
Definitions
  1. A forcible stroke with the hand, fist, or some instrument, as a rod, a club, an ax, or a sword.
    Well struck ! there was blow for blow. Shak.
  2. A sudden or forcible act or effort; an assault.
    A vigorous blow might win [Hanno's camp]. T. Arnold.
  3. The infliction of evil; a sudden calamity; something which produces mental, physical, or financial suffering or loss (esp. when sudden); a buffet.
    A most poor man, made tame to fortune's blows. Shak.
    Syn. -- Stroke; knock; shock; misfortune.
Blow intransitive verb
Etymology
OE. blawen, blowen, AS. blwan to blow, as wind; akin to OHG. pljan, G. blähen, to blow up, swell, L. flare to blow, Gr. to spout out, and to E. bladder, blast, inflate, etc., and perh. blow to bloom.
Wordforms
imperfect Blew ; past participle Blown ; present participle & verbal noun Blowing
Definitions
  1. To produce a current of air; to move, as air, esp. to move rapidly or with power; as, the wind blows.
    Hark how it rains and blows ! Walton.
  2. To send forth a forcible current of air, as from the mouth or from a pair of bellows.
  3. To breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff.
    Here is Mistress Page at the door, sweating and blowing. Shak.
  4. To sound on being blown into, as a trumpet.
    There let the pealing organ blow. Milton.
  5. To spout water, etc., from the blowholes, as a whale.
  6. To be carried or moved by the wind; as, the dust blows in from the street.
    The grass blows from their graves to thy own. M. Arnold.
  7. To talk loudly; to boast; to storm. Colloq.
    You blow behind my back, but dare not say anything to my face. Bartlett.
Blow transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means; as, to blow the fire.
  2. To drive by a current air; to impel; as, the tempest blew the ship ashore.
    Off at sea northeast winds blow Sabean odors from the spicy shore. Milton.
  3. To cause air to pass through by the action of the mouth, or otherwise; to cause to sound, as a wind instrument; as, to blow a trumpet; to blow an organ.
    Hath she no husband That will take pains to blow a horn before her? Shak.
    Boy, blow the pipe until the bubble rise, Then cast it off to float upon the skies. Parnell.
  4. To clear of contents by forcing air through; as, to blow an egg; to blow one's nose.
  5. To burst, shatter, or destroy by an explosion; -- usually with up, down, open, or similar adverb; as, to blow up a building.
  6. To spread by report; to publish; to disclose.
    Through the court his courtesy was blown. Dryden.
    His language does his knowledge blow. Whiting.
  7. To form by inflation; to swell by injecting air; as, to blow bubbles; to blow glass.
  8. To inflate, as with pride; to puff up.
    Look how imagination blows him. Shak.
  9. To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue; as, to blow a horse. Sir W. Scott.
  10. To deposit eggs or larvæ upon, or in (meat, etc.).
    To suffer The flesh fly blow my mouth. Shak.
    I have blown him up well -- nobody can say I wink at what he does. G. Eliot.
    How far the very custom of hearing anything spouted withers and blows upon a fine passage, may be seen in those speeches from [Shakespeare's] Henry V. which are current in the mouths of schoolboys. C. Lamb.
    A lady's maid whose character had been blown upon. Macaulay.
Blow noun
Definitions
  1. A blowing, esp., a violent blowing of the wind; a gale; as, a heavy blow came on, and the ship put back to port.
  2. The act of forcing air from the mouth, or through or from some instrument; as, to give a hard blow on a whistle or horn; to give the fire a blow with the bellows.
  3. The spouting of a whale.
  4. (Metal.) A single heat or operation of the Bessemer converter. Raymond.
  5. An egg, or a larva, deposited by a fly on or in flesh, or the act of depositing it. Chapman.

Webster 1913