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Blow

//bləʊ// adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Adjective

1
Blue.

Intj

1
Used to express displeasure or frustration.
"Blow the expense!"

Proper Noun

1
A surname.

Noun

1
A strong wind. countable, uncountable
"We’re having a bit of a blow this afternoon."
2
An instance of the act of striking or hitting.
"A fabricator is used to direct a sharp blow to the surface of the stone."
3
A state of flowering; a bloom.
"roses in full blow"
4
forceful exhalation through the nose or mouth wordnet
5
A chance to catch one's breath. countable, informal, uncountable
"The players were able to get a blow during the last timeout."

Show 18 more definitions

6
A sudden or forcible act or effort; an assault.
"There he found that […] Hanno's camp was crowded with cattle and carriages, and a mixed multitude of unarmed men, and even of women and children; and that a vigorous blow might win it with all its spoil: the indefatigable general was absent, scouring the country for additional supplies of corn."
7
A display or mass of flowers; a yield.
"[H]e believed he could shew me such a blow of tulips as was not to be matched in the whole country."
8
a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon wordnet
9
Powder cocaine. US, slang, uncountable
"Hi there, you're a pretty cute chick, want to snort some blow?"
10
A damaging occurrence.
"A further blow to the group came in 1917 when Thomson died while canoeing in Algonquin Park."
11
A display of anything bright or brilliant. figuratively
12
street names for cocaine wordnet
13
Cannabis. UK, slang, uncountable
14
A cut made to a sheep's fleece by a shearer using hand-shears. Australia, historical
"Click goes his shears; click, click, click. / Wide are the blows, and his hand is moving quick, / The ringer looks round, for he lost it by a blow, / And he curses that old shearer with the bare belled ewe."
15
an unpleasant or disappointing surprise wordnet
16
Heroin. slang, uncountable
17
An outcrop of quartz from surrounding rock, thought to indicate mineral deposits below. Australia, New-Zealand
""Blows" of quartz, crop out above the layers of slate, granite, and sandstone formation."
18
an impact (as from a collision) wordnet
19
A blowjob; fellatio. countable, informal, uncountable, vulgar
"His girlfriend gave him a blow."
20
Synonym of button (“the punchy or suspenseful line of dialogue that concludes a scene”).
"The blow is important because it transitions the reader and eventually the audience from one scene to another."
21
an unfortunate happening that hinders or impedes; something that is thwarting or frustrating wordnet
22
An instance of using high-pressure air to empty water from the ballast tanks of a submarine, increasing the submarine's buoyancy and causing it to surface. countable, uncountable
"The sounding of the alarm was the signal to begin the emergency blow maneuver. At this time, witnesses reported, the guest at the high-pressure air controls operated the levers under close supervision of Navy personnel, and the submarine started to rise at a sharp angle."
23
a strong current of air wordnet

Verb

1
To produce an air current. intransitive
"Lear. Blow windes, & crack your cheeks; Rage, blow / You Cataracts, and Hyrricano's ſpout,"
2
To blossom; to cause to bloom or blossom.
"You ſeeme to me as Diane in her Orbe, / As chaſte as is the budde ere it be blowne:"
3
exhale hard wordnet
4
To propel by an air current (or, if under water, a water current), usually with the mouth. transitive
"Blow the dust off that book and open it up."
5
free of obstruction by blowing air through wordnet

Show 52 more definitions

6
To be propelled by an air current. intransitive
"The leaves blow through the streets in the fall."
7
burst suddenly wordnet
8
To direct or move, usually of a person to a particular location. figuratively, transitive
""This is an unexpected pleasure!" exclaimed he. "What good fortune blows Lady Marchmont hither?""
9
melt, break, or become otherwise unusable wordnet
10
To create or shape by blowing. transitive
"to blow bubbles"
11
shape by blowing wordnet
12
To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means. transitive
"to blow the fire"
13
allow to regain its breath wordnet
14
To clear of contents by forcing air through. transitive
"to blow an egg"
15
show off wordnet
16
To cause to make sound by blowing (as a musical instrument). transitive
"Blow your horn! That car is about to hit us!"
17
cause to be revealed and jeopardized wordnet
18
To make a sound as a result of being blown. intransitive
"In the harbor, the ships’ horns blew."
19
deposit eggs (of insects) wordnet
20
To exhale visibly through the spout the seawater which it has taken in while feeding. intransitive
"There’s nothing more thrilling to the whale watcher than to see a whale surface and blow."
21
leave; informal or rude wordnet
22
To burst or explode; to occur suddenly intransitive
"Get away from that burning gas tank! It’s about to blow!"
23
be in motion due to some air or water current wordnet
24
To cause to explode, shatter, or be utterly destroyed. transitive
"The demolition squad neatly blew the old hotel up."
25
spout moist air from the blowhole wordnet
26
To cause the sudden destruction of. transitive
"He blew the tires and the engine."
27
cause to move by means of an air current wordnet
28
To blow from a gun (method of executing a person). historical, transitive
29
cause air to go in, on, or through wordnet
30
To suddenly fail or give way destructively. intransitive
"He tried to sprint, but his ligaments blew and he was barely able to walk to the finish line."
31
provide sexual gratification through oral stimulation wordnet
32
To melt away because of overcurrent, creating a gap in a wire, thus stopping a circuit from operating. ergative
33
play or sound a wind instrument wordnet
34
To recklessly squander. slang, transitive
"I managed to blow $1000 at blackjack in under an hour."
35
make a sound as if blown wordnet
36
To fail at; to mess up; to make a mistake in. idiomatic, informal, transitive
"I blew it and forgot to start the spaghetti, so I had plenty of sauce and no pasta."
37
sound by having air expelled through a tube wordnet
38
To be very undesirable. intransitive, slang, stative
"This blows!"
39
spend lavishly or wastefully on wordnet
40
To perform oral sex on (someone); to fellate. transitive, vulgar
"Who did you have to blow to get those backstage passes?"
41
spend thoughtlessly; throw away wordnet
42
To leave, especially suddenly or in a hurry. slang, transitive
"Let’s blow this joint."
43
make a mess of, destroy or ruin wordnet
44
To leave the Church of Scientology in an unauthorized manner. intransitive
45
be inadequate or objectionable wordnet
46
To make flyblown; to defile or spoil, especially with fly eggs. transitive
"Shall they hoyſt me vp, And ſhew me to the ſhowting Varlotarie Of cenſuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt, Be gentle graue vnto me, rather on Nylus mudde Lay me ſtarke-nak'd, and let the water-Flies Blow me into abhorring;"
47
be blowing or storming wordnet
48
(of a fly) To lay eggs; to breed (in flesh or meat). intransitive
"[…] said the bookseller, “but I cannot risk the expence of your debut - There are critics without as well as within a theatre.” - I know it, said I, interrupting him; “men who, like flies blowing on a piece of wholesome meat, can convert it into carrion - […]"
49
To spread by report; to publish; to disclose. obsolete, transitive
"Through the court his courtesy was blown."
50
To inflate, as with pride; to puff up. obsolete, transitive
"O peace, now he's deepely in: looke how imagination blowes him."
51
To breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff. intransitive
"Rob. Miſtris Ford, Miſtris Ford: heere's Miſtris Page at the doore, ſsweating, and blowing, and looking wildely, and would needs ſpeake with you preſently."
52
To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue. transitive
53
To talk loudly; boast; brag. dated, intransitive
"I don't want the worst characters in hell to be running after me with friendly messages and little testimonials of admiration for Smythe, and blowing about his talents, and bragging on him, and belching their villainous fire and brimstone all through the atmosphere and making my place smell worse than a menagerie."
54
To slander, insult, critique or discredit (someone); to reprimand or scold (someone). dated, slang, transitive
55
To expose, or inform on. UK, archaic, slang, transitive
"'As for that,' says Will, 'I could tell it well enough, if I had it, but I must not be seen anywhere among my old acquaintances, for I am blown, and they will all betray me.'"
56
To sing. informal, intransitive, slang
"That girl has a wonderful voice; just listen to her blow!"
57
To flatulate or defecate. colloquial, intransitive, slang
"Uh, oh! I gotta blow!"

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English blowen, from Old English blāwan (“to blow, breathe, inflate, sound”), from Proto-West Germanic *blāan, from Proto-Germanic *blēaną (“to blow”) (compare German blähen), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to swell, blow up”) (compare Latin flō (“to blow”) and Old Armenian բեղուն (bełun, “fertile”)).

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Etymology 4

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”). Doublet of blue.

Etymology 5

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

Etymology 6

From Middle English blowen, from Old English blōwan, from Proto-Germanic *blōaną (compare Dutch bloeien, German blühen), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (compare Latin florēre (“to bloom”)).

Etymology 7

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