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BLOW
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
Irregular inflected forms: blew , blown
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Forceful exhalation through the nose or mouth
Example:
he blew out all the candles with a single puff
Synonyms:
blow; puff
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("blow" is a kind of...):
breathing out; exhalation; expiration (the act of expelling air from the lungs)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "blow"):
insufflation (an act of blowing or breathing on or into something)
Derivation:
blow (exhale hard)
blow (free of obstruction by blowing air through)
blow (shape by blowing)
blow (spout moist air from the blowhole)
blow (make a sound as if blown)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon
Example:
a blow on the head
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("blow" is a kind of...):
stroke (a single complete movement)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "blow"):
shot (a blow hard enough to cause injury)
hammer; hammering; pound; pounding (the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows))
uppercut (a swinging blow directed upward (especially at an opponent's chin))
thump (a heavy blow with the hand)
stinger (a sharp stinging blow)
knife thrust; stab; thrust (a strong blow with a knife or other sharp pointed instrument)
swing (a sweeping blow or stroke)
counterblow (a return blow; a retaliatory blow)
wallop (a severe blow)
boot; kick; kicking (the act of delivering a blow with the foot)
box (a blow with the hand (usually on the ear))
biff; clout; lick; poke; punch; slug ((boxing) a blow with the fist)
lash; whip; whiplash (a quick blow delivered with a whip or whiplike object)
swat (a sharp blow)
kayo; knockout; KO (a blow that renders the opponent unconscious)
knockdown (a blow that knocks the opponent off his feet)
smacker (a very powerful blow with the fist)
slap; smack; smacking (the act of smacking something; a blow delivered with an open hand)
thwack (a hard blow with a flat object)
belt; knock; rap; whack; whang (the act of hitting vigorously)
clip (a sharp slanting blow)
backhander (a backhanded blow)
Holonyms ("blow" is a part of...):
combat; fight; fighting; scrap (the act of fighting; any contest or struggle)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Synonyms:
blow; C; coke; nose candy; snow
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("blow" is a kind of...):
cocain; cocaine (a narcotic (alkaloid) extracted from coca leaves; used as a surface anesthetic or taken for pleasure; can become powerfully addictive)
Sense 4
Meaning:
An unpleasant or disappointing surprise
Example:
it came as a shock to learn that he was injured
Synonyms:
blow; shock
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("blow" is a kind of...):
surprise (a sudden unexpected event)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "blow"):
blip (a sudden minor shock or meaningless interruption)
Sense 5
Meaning:
An impact (as from a collision)
Example:
the bump threw him off the bicycle
Synonyms:
blow; bump
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Hypernyms ("blow" is a kind of...):
impact (the striking of one body against another)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "blow"):
slap; smack (a blow from a flat object (as an open hand))
sideswipe (a glancing blow from or on the side of something (especially motor vehicles))
buffeting; pounding (repeated heavy blows)
bang; bash; belt; knock; smash (a vigorous blow)
rap; strike; tap (a gentle blow)
concussion (any violent blow)
jar; jolt; jounce; shock (a sudden jarring impact)
Sense 6
Meaning:
An unfortunate happening that hinders or impedes; something that is thwarting or frustrating
Synonyms:
black eye; blow; reversal; reverse; setback
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Hypernyms ("blow" is a kind of...):
happening; natural event; occurrence; occurrent (an event that happens)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "blow"):
whammy (a serious or devastating setback)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Example:
the tree was bent almost double by the gust
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Hypernyms ("blow" is a kind of...):
air current; current of air; wind (air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "blow"):
bluster (a violent gusty wind)
sandblast (a blast of wind laden with sand)
puff; puff of air; whiff (a short light gust of air)
Derivation:
blow (be in motion due to some air or water current)
blow (cause to move by means of an air current)
blow (be blowing or storming)
blowy (abounding in or exposed to the wind or breezes)
II. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they blow ... he / she / it blows
Past simple: blew
Past participle: blown
-ing form: blowing
Sense 1
Meaning:
Example:
blow on the soup to cool it down
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
breathe out; exhale; expire (expel air)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "blow"):
gasp; heave; pant; puff (breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted)
chuff; huff; puff (blow hard and loudly)
insufflate (blow or breathe hard on or into)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Derivation:
blow (forceful exhalation through the nose or mouth)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Free of obstruction by blowing air through
Example:
blow one's nose
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
discharge; eject; exhaust; expel; release (eliminate (a substance))
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Derivation:
blow (forceful exhalation through the nose or mouth)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Example:
We blew a tire
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
break open; burst; split (come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Sense 4
Meaning:
Melt, break, or become otherwise unusable
Example:
The fuse blew
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
break; break down; conk out; die; fail; give out; give way; go; go bad (stop operating or functioning)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 5
Meaning:
Example:
Blow a glass vase
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
form; shape (give shape or form to)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
blowing (processing that involves blowing a gas)
blow (forceful exhalation through the nose or mouth)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Example:
blow a horse
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
rest (give a rest to)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 7
Meaning:
Synonyms:
blow; bluster; boast; brag; gas; gasconade; shoot a line; swash; tout; vaunt
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
amplify; exaggerate; hyperbolise; hyperbolize; magnify; overdraw; overstate (to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "blow"):
crow; gloat; triumph (dwell on with satisfaction)
puff (speak in a blustering or scornful manner)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE
Somebody ----s to somebody
Sense 8
Meaning:
Cause to be revealed and jeopardized
Example:
The double agent was blown by the other side
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
break; bring out; disclose; discover; divulge; expose; give away; let on; let out; reveal; uncover; unwrap (make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 9
Meaning:
Example:
certain insects are said to blow
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
lay; put down; repose (put in a horizontal position)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 10
Meaning:
Example:
let's blow this place
Synonyms:
blow; shove along; shove off
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
depart; go; go away (move away from a place into another direction)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Sense 11
Meaning:
Be in motion due to some air or water current
Example:
the shipwrecked boat drifted away from the shore
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)
Verb group:
float (move lightly, as if suspended)
drift (cause to be carried by a current)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "blow"):
waft (be driven or carried along, as by the air)
tide (be carried with the tide)
stream (to extend, wave or float outward, as if in the wind)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Derivation:
blow (a strong current of air)
Sense 12
Meaning:
Spout moist air from the blowhole
Example:
The whales blew
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
gush; spirt; spout; spurt (gush forth in a sudden stream or jet)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Derivation:
blow (forceful exhalation through the nose or mouth)
Sense 13
Meaning:
Cause to move by means of an air current
Example:
The wind blew the leaves around in the yard
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "blow"):
whiff (drive or carry as if by a puff of air)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
blow (a strong current of air)
blower (a device that produces a current of air)
blower (a fan run by an electric motor)
Sense 14
Meaning:
Cause air to go in, on, or through
Example:
Blow my hair dry
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
direct; send (cause to go somewhere)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "blow"):
blast (apply a draft or strong wind to to)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s something
Derivation:
blower (a device that produces a current of air)
blower (a fan run by an electric motor)
Sense 15
Meaning:
Provide sexual gratification through oral stimulation
Synonyms:
blow; fellate; go down on; suck
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
excite; stimulate; stir (stir feelings in)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Sense 16
Meaning:
Play or sound a wind instrument
Example:
She blew the horn
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
sound (cause to sound)
Verb group:
blow (make a sound as if blown)
blow (sound by having air expelled through a tube)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 17
Meaning:
Example:
The whistle blew
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
go; sound (make a certain noise or sound)
Verb group:
blow (play or sound a wind instrument)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Derivation:
blow (forceful exhalation through the nose or mouth)
Sense 18
Meaning:
Sound by having air expelled through a tube
Example:
The trumpets blew
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
go; sound (make a certain noise or sound)
Verb group:
blow (play or sound a wind instrument)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 19
Meaning:
Spend lavishly or wastefully on
Example:
He blew a lot of money on his new home theater
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
Verb group:
blow; squander; waste (spend thoughtlessly; throw away)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something on somebody
Sense 20
Meaning:
Spend thoughtlessly; throw away
Example:
You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced degree
Synonyms:
blow; squander; waste
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
expend; use (use up, consume fully)
Verb group:
blow (spend lavishly or wastefully on)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "blow"):
burn (spend (significant amounts of money))
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 21
Meaning:
Make a mess of, destroy or ruin
Example:
the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement
Synonyms:
ball up; blow; bobble; bodge; bollix; bollix up; bollocks; bollocks up; botch; botch up; bumble; bungle; flub; fluff; foul up; fuck up; fumble; louse up; mess up; mishandle; muck up; muff; screw up; spoil
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
fail; go wrong; miscarry (be unsuccessful)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Sense 22
Meaning:
Be inadequate or objectionable
Example:
this blows!
Synonyms:
blow; suck
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Hypernyms (to "blow" is one way to...):
be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 23
Meaning:
Example:
The wind blew from the West
Classified under:
Verbs of raining, snowing, thawing, thundering
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "blow"):
breeze (blow gently and lightly)
set in (blow toward the shore)
waft (blow gently)
storm (blow hard)
squall (blow in a squall)
bluster (blow hard; be gusty, as of wind)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
It is ----ing
Something is ----ing PP
Sentence example:
It was blowing all day long
Derivation:
blow (a strong current of air)
Context examples:
Usually, it also involves blowing air into the person’s mouth to help with breathing and send oxygen to the lungs.
(Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, NCI Dictionary)
Learn how to do back blows, the Heimlich maneuver (abdominal thrusts), and CPR.
(Choking, NIH)
Pulsars are one of several types of stellar remnants that are left over when stars blow up in supernova explosions.
(Pulse of a Dead Star Powers Intense Gamma Rays, NASA)
C. tyrobutyricum is present in milk and causes late-blowing defect in cheeses with high pH leading to product loss.
(Clostridium tyrobutyricum, NCI Thesaurus)
You can also have one if you suffer a blow to the head or hit your head after a fall.
(Concussion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
This made her angrier than before, and she blew her silver whistle twice.
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
The cause is often a fall or a blow, sometimes from playing a contact sport.
(Dislocations, NIH)
Device problems caused by the sudden violent blow or collision to the whole device (e.g. by dropping).
(Device Mechanical Shock Problem Evaluation Result, Food and Drug Administration)
The sun's winds blow a bubble around it, pushing out against denser matter from other stars.
(Sun sends more 'tsunami waves' to Voyager 1, NASA)
Blown into space with the rising plume emitted through those fractures, the ice grains were then analyzed by Cassini's CDA.
(New Organic Compounds Found in Enceladus Ice Grains, NASA)