blow
blow Lexical Profile
blow Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To move or flow creating an air current, or to be carried or driven along by the wind.
"A cool autumn breeze began to blow across the open meadow at dusk."
To expel air through pursed lips or the nose, often to cool something, clear the nasal passages, or sound a wind instrument.
"The referee had to blow the whistle twice to halt the play on the field."
To burst, melt, or fail suddenly due to excessive pressure, friction, or electrical current (especially of a tire, gasket, or fuse).
"Running the space heater and the microwave on the same circuit caused a fuse to blow."
To spend money recklessly or to waste a valuable opportunity (informal).
"The team could not afford to blow their comfortable lead in the final minutes of the game."
To open into flower or reach full bloom (literary or poetic, of plants and blossoms).
"The poet described a secluded bank where wild thyme and violets blow in the spring."
• noun
A powerful stroke or hit delivered with the hand, a fist, or an object.
"The boxer delivered a decisive blow that ended the championship match in the third round."
A sudden shock, disappointment, or severe setback to a person or endeavor.
"Losing the research grant was a severe blow to the university's climate study program."
An act of expelling air from the mouth or nose, or a strong gust of wind.
"With one big blow, the child extinguished all the candles on the birthday cake."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Blow' represents a homonym merging three distinct Germanic roots: the primary irregular verb meaning to move air (past tense 'blew', past participle 'blown'), the noun meaning a forceful strike or shock, and a literary verb meaning to bloom or blossom (past participle 'blown', as in 'full-blown').
• Rhymes for blow
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The sense relating to wind and air derives from Old English 'blawan', of Proto-Germanic origin from a root shared with Latin 'flare' (to blow). The noun meaning a forceful hit emerged in late Middle English from a separate Northern English and Scots root, while the poetic sense 'to blossom' comes from Old English 'blowan', related to 'bloom' and 'blossom'.