blow
blow
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "blow" is /bloʊ/.
bloʊ
/b/ - voiced bilabial stop
/l/ - voiced alveolar lateral approximant
/oʊ/ - diphthong (as in "boat")
Word Form Variations
Verb:
Base form: blow
Third-person singular present: blows
Present participle: blowing
Past simple: blew
Past participle: blown
Noun:
Singular: blow
Plural: blows
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
To expel air from the mouth or nose.
Example: She blew on her hot tea to cool it down.
Synonyms: exhale, puff, waft
Antonyms: inhale, breathe in
To move or be carried by the wind or a current of air.
Example: The leaves blew across the yard.
Synonyms: drift, gust, sweep
Antonyms: stand still, remain
To cause an explosion or burst, often with a loud noise.
Example: The dynamite blew up the old building.
Synonyms: explode, detonate, burst
Antonyms: implode, collapse (without explosion)
To ruin or mishandle an opportunity or task.
Example: He really blew his chances of getting the promotion.
Synonyms: botch, mess up, bungle
Antonyms: succeed, excel, nail
To shape or form something by expelling air, especially glass.
Example: The artisan blew a beautiful glass vase.
Synonyms: shape, mold, form
Antonyms: none specific (implies creation)
Noun
A strong gust of wind or air.
Example: A sudden blow of wind knocked over the umbrella.
Synonyms: gust, draft, puff
Antonyms: calm, stillness
A sudden, impactful stroke or punch.
Example: He delivered a powerful blow to the boxing bag.
Synonyms: punch, hit, strike, impact
Antonyms: caress, touch, miss
A sudden and unexpected misfortune or setback.
Example: Losing his job was a real blow to his confidence.
Synonyms: setback, shock, misfortune, calamity
Antonyms: boon, advantage, benefit, blessing
Examples of Use
Books:
"It was a blow to discover that the promotion had gone to someone else, but she resolved to work even harder." (Fictional novel, author uncredited for example)
"The wind began to blow fiercely, rattling the windows of the old farmhouse." (From a descriptive passage in a natural history book, author uncredited for example)
"He managed to blow the cover of the entire operation with one careless word." (From a spy thriller novel, author uncredited for example)
Newspapers:
"Rising interest rates could deal a significant blow to the housing market." (Headline, The Wall Street Journal)
"The government plans to blow millions on new infrastructure projects, critics argue." (Opinion piece, The Guardian)
"After a long drought, farmers are eagerly awaiting the rains to blow away the dust." (Local news report, Daily Nation)
Online Publications:
"How to blow up your social media presence in 3 easy steps." (Article title, Forbes.com, April 10, 2025)
"Analysts predict a major blow to the tech sector if the proposed regulations pass." (Analysis piece, TechCrunch.com)
"Don't blow your chance to apply for this scholarship – deadlines are approaching!" (Call to action, University admissions blog)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: (Dialogue) "One wrong move and this whole thing could blow up in our faces." (From an action movie, character dialogue, film uncredited for example)
Music: (Lyrics) "When the cold wind starts to blow, I'll know it's time to go." (From a folk song, artist/song uncredited for example)
Television Series: (Dialogue) "I can't believe you managed to blow that simple task!" (From a sitcom, character dialogue, show uncredited for example)
Video Games: (Gameplay prompt) "Press X to blow up the obstacle." (On-screen instruction in an action-adventure game, game uncredited for example)
Podcasts: "The latest economic figures are a real blow to investor confidence." (Financial news podcast, host commentary, podcast uncredited for example)
General Public Discourse:
"I heard he got a big blow to his ego when he didn't get the promotion." (Casual conversation between friends)
"It's so windy today, the trees are really starting to blow." (Observation made in everyday conversation)
"Don't blow your money on frivolous things; save for the future." (Advice given by a parent to a child)
"I need to blow off some steam after that stressful meeting." (Common idiom for relieving stress)
"Did you see that strong blow the boxer landed?" (Discussion among sports fans)
10 Famous Quotes Using Blow
"The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind." (Bob Dylan, "Blowin' in the Wind")
"A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday." (Alexander Pope - While not using "blow," this captures the essence of recovering from a "blow" to one's ego or reputation.)
"They can blow out the candle but they can't blow out the fire. Once the flame begins to catch, the wind will blow it higher." (Peter Gabriel, "Biko")
"We all blow it sometimes. The best we can do is get up and keep moving forward." (Oprah Winfrey - paraphrased, reflecting a common sentiment attributed to her about resilience)
"A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally." (Oscar Wilde - This quote speaks to the avoidance of causing a "blow" to someone's feelings.)
"It's no use crying over spilt milk." (Proverb - A metaphorical equivalent to accepting a setback or "blow" and moving on.)
"I'm going to blow some minds tonight." (Conor McGregor - A boast often attributed to him before fights, meaning to impress or shock.)
"You never get a second chance to make a first impression." (Will Rogers - Implies that if you "blow" the first impression, there's no going back.)
"The darkest hour is just before the dawn." (Thomas Fuller - Offers hope after a "blow" or period of difficulty.)
"The pen is mightier than the sword." (Edward Bulwer-Lytton - Suggests that words, though they don't "blow" in the physical sense, can have a more profound impact than physical force.)
Etymology
The word "blow" has a fascinating history, with its different meanings actually coming from different origins!
Let's break it down:
1. "To expel air" or "move by air" (like wind):
This is the older and more common meaning of "blow."
It comes to us from Old English (the language spoken in England before 1066) as the word "blāwan." This word already meant things like "to blow (as in wind or bellows)," "to breathe," "to inflate," and even "to sound" a wind instrument.
If we go back even further, blāwan itself came from a language called Proto-Germanic (the ancestor of English, German, Dutch, etc.) where the word was something like "blēaną" which meant "to blow."
And even before that, its ultimate root is thought to be from Proto-Indo-European (a very ancient language that's the ancestor of many European and Indian languages) as "bʰleh₁-," meaning "to swell" or "to blow up." You can see this connection in words like "inflate" (from Latin flare "to blow").
So, the first known meaning related to expelling air goes way back to the Old English period (before 1150 AD).
2. "A sudden hit or strike":
This meaning of "blow" (as in "a punch") is actually quite separate from the "wind" meaning.
It appeared later, around the Middle English period (1150-1500 AD), specifically in northern and East Midlands dialects of English.
It's thought to have come from a Middle Dutch word, "blouwen," which meant "to beat." There might also have been a similar Old English word that is now lost.
This meaning is also related to other Germanic words like the German "bleuen" and Gothic "bliggwan," both meaning "to strike."
So, while both meanings are now "blow" in modern English, they arrived here through different linguistic paths!
Phrases + Idioms Containing Blow
Blow off steam: To release pent-up energy, anger, or stress.
Blow your top/lid/stack: To lose one's temper suddenly and violently.
Blow hot and cold: To keep changing one's mind or attitude about something.
Blow smoke: To exaggerate or say things that are not true, often to impress or deceive.
Blow one's own trumpet/horn: To boast about one's own achievements.
Blow a fuse: To get very angry; also, for an electrical fuse to break.
Blow it: To fail badly at something; to mess up an opportunity.
Blow a kiss: To send a kiss by blowing air with one's lips.
Blow over: For a difficult or unpleasant situation to pass or calm down.
Blow the whistle: To report an illegal or wrong act to authorities; to expose a secret.
Blow up: To explode; to become angry; to inflate; to enlarge (a photograph).
Blow out: To extinguish a flame; to defeat overwhelmingly; for a tire to burst.
Blow away: To impress someone greatly; to kill or destroy with a powerful strike.
Blow out of proportion: To exaggerate the importance of something.
Blow the budget: To spend more money than planned.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of blow from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
