Blow

9 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Blow \Blow\, v. i. [imp. {Blew} (bl[=u]); p. p. {Blown}
     (bl[=o]n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Blowing}.] [OE. blawen, blowen,
     AS. bl[=a]wan to blow, as wind; akin to OHG. pl[=a]jan, G.
     bl[aum]hen, to blow up, swell, L. flare to blow, Gr.
     'ekflai`nein to spout out, and to E. bladder, blast, inflate,
     etc., and perh. blow to bloom.]


     1. To produce a current of air; to move, as air, esp. to move
        rapidly or with power; as, the wind blows.
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              Hark how it rains and blows !         --Walton.
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     2. To send forth a forcible current of air, as from the mouth
        or from a pair of bellows.
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     3. To breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff.
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              Here is Mistress Page at the door, sweating and
              blowing.                              --Shak.
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     4. To sound on being blown into, as a trumpet.
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              There let the pealing organ blow.     --Milton.
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     5. To spout water, etc., from the blowholes, as a whale.
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     6. To be carried or moved by the wind; as, the dust blows in
        from the street.
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              The grass blows from their graves to thy own. --M.
                                                    Arnold.
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     7. To talk loudly; to boast; to storm. [Colloq.]
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              You blow behind my back, but dare not say anything
              to my face.                           --Bartlett.
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     8. To stop functioning due to a failure in an electrical
        circuit, especially on which breaks the circuit; sometimes
        used with out; -- used of light bulbs, electronic
        components, fuses; as, the dome light in the car blew out.
        [PJC]
  
     9. To deflate by sudden loss of air; usually used with out;
        -- of inflatable tires.
        [PJC]
  
     {To blow hot and cold} (a saying derived from a fable of
        [AE]sop's), to favor a thing at one time and treat it
        coldly at another; or to appear both to favor and to
        oppose.
  
     {To blow off}, to let steam escape through a passage provided
        for the purpose; as, the engine or steamer is blowing off.
        
  
     {To blow out}.
        (a) To be driven out by the expansive force of a gas or
            vapor; as, a steam cock or valve sometimes blows out.
        (b) To talk violently or abusively. [Low]
  
     {To blow over}, to pass away without effect; to cease, or be
        dissipated; as, the storm and the clouds have blown over.
        
  
     {To blow up}, to be torn to pieces and thrown into the air as
        by an explosion of powder or gas or the expansive force of
        steam; to burst; to explode; as, a powder mill or steam
        boiler blows up. "The enemy's magazines blew up."
        --Tatler.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Blow \Blow\ (bl[=o]), v. i. [imp. {Blew} (bl[=u]); p. p. {Blown}
     (bl[=o]n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Blowing}.] [OE. blowen, AS.
     bl[=o]wan to blossom; akin to OS. bl[=o]jan, D. bloeijen,
     OHG. pluojan, MHG. bl["u]ejen, G. bl["u]hen, L. florere to
     flourish, OIr. blath blossom. Cf. {Blow} to puff,
     {Flourish}.]
     To flower; to blossom; to bloom.
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           How blows the citron grove.              --Milton.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Blow \Blow\, v. t.
     To cause to blossom; to put forth (blossoms or flowers).
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           The odorous banks, that blow
           Flowers of more mingled hue.             --Milton.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Blow \Blow\, n. (Bot.)
     A blossom; a flower; also, a state of blossoming; a mass of
     blossoms. "Such a blow of tulips." --Tatler.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Blow \Blow\, n. [OE. blaw, blowe; cf. OHG. bliuwan, pliuwan, to
     beat, G. bl[aum]uen, Goth. bliggwan.]
     1. A forcible stroke with the hand, fist, or some instrument,
        as a rod, a club, an ax, or a sword.
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              Well struck ! there was blow for blow. --Shak.
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     2. A sudden or forcible act or effort; an assault.
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              A vigorous blow might win [Hanno's camp]. --T.
                                                    Arnold.
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     3. The infliction of evil; a sudden calamity; something which
        produces mental, physical, or financial suffering or loss
        (esp. when sudden); a buffet.
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              A most poor man, made tame to fortune's blows.
                                                    --Shak.
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     {At a blow}, suddenly; at one effort; by a single vigorous
        act. "They lose a province at a blow." --Dryden.
  
     {To come to blows}, to engage in combat; to fight; -- said of
        individuals, armies, and nations.
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     Syn: Stroke; knock; shock; misfortune.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Blow \Blow\, v. t.
     1. To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other
        means; as, to blow the fire.
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     2. To drive by a current air; to impel; as, the tempest blew
        the ship ashore.
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              Off at sea northeast winds blow
              Sabean odors from the spicy shore.    --Milton.
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     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; to blow a horn.
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              Hath she no husband
              That will take pains to blow a horn before her?
                                                    --Shak.
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              Boy, blow the pipe until the bubble rise,
              Then cast it off to float upon the skies. --Parnell.
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     4. To clear of contents by forcing air through; as, to blow
        an egg; to blow one's nose.
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     5. To burst, shatter, or destroy by an explosion; -- usually
        with up, down, open, or similar adverb; as, to blow up a
        building.
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     6. To spread by report; to publish; to disclose; to reveal,
        intentionally or inadvertently; as, to blow an agent's
        cover.
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              Through the court his courtesy was blown. --Dryden.
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              His language does his knowledge blow. --Whiting.
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     7. To form by inflation; to swell by injecting air; as, to
        blow bubbles; to blow glass.
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     8. To inflate, as with pride; to puff up.
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              Look how imagination blows him.       --Shak.
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     9. To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue; as,
        to blow a horse. --Sir W. Scott.
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     10. To deposit eggs or larv[ae] upon, or in (meat, etc.).
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               To suffer
               The flesh fly blow my mouth.         --Shak.
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     11. To perform an act of fellatio on; to stimulate another's
         penis with one's mouth; -- usually considered vulgar.
         [slang]
         [PJC]
  
     12. to smoke (e. g. marijuana); to blow pot. [colloq.]
         [PJC]
  
     13. to botch; to bungle; as, he blew his chance at a good job
         by showing up late for the interview. [colloq.]
         [PJC]
  
     14. to leave; to depart from; as, to blow town. [slang]
         [PJC]
  
     15. to squander; as, he blew his inheritance gambling.
         [colloq.]
         [PJC]
  
     {To blow great guns}, to blow furiously and with roaring
        blasts; -- said of the wind at sea or along the coast.
  
     {To blow off}, to empty (a boiler) of water through the
        blow-off pipe, while under steam pressure; also, to eject
        (steam, water, sediment, etc.) from a boiler.
  
     {To blow one's own trumpet}, to vaunt one's own exploits, or
        sound one's own praises.
  
     {To blow out}, to extinguish by a current of air, as a
        candle.
  
     {To blow up}.
         (a) To fill with air; to swell; as, to blow up a bladder
             or bubble.
         (b) To inflate, as with pride, self-conceit, etc.; to
             puff up; as, to blow one up with flattery. "Blown up
             with high conceits engendering pride." --Milton.
         (c) To excite; as, to blow up a contention.
         (d) To burst, to raise into the air, or to scatter, by an
             explosion; as, to blow up a fort.
         (e) To scold violently; as, to blow up a person for some
             offense. [Colloq.]
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                   I have blown him up well -- nobody can say I
                   wink at what he does.            --G. Eliot.
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     {To blow upon}.
         (a) To blast; to taint; to bring into discredit; to
             render stale, unsavory, or worthless.
         (b) To inform against. [Colloq.]
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                   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.
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                   A lady's maid whose character had been blown
                   upon.                            --Macaulay.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Blow \Blow\, n.
     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.
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     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.
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     3. The spouting of a whale.
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     4. (Metal.) A single heat or operation of the Bessemer
        converter. --Raymond.
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     5. An egg, or a larva, deposited by a fly on or in flesh, or
        the act of depositing it. --Chapman.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

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

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  549 Moby Thesaurus words for "blow":
     Barnumize, Lucullan feast, accident, accomplished fact,
     accomplishment, ache, achievement, aching, act, acta, action,
     adventure, amplify, anthesis, astonishment, bafflement, bagpipe,
     balk, bang, banquet, bash, bastinado, bat, bay, be in bloom,
     be in flower, bean-feast, beano, bear fruit, beat it, beating,
     beep, bell, belt, betrayed hope, biff, black squall, blare, blast,
     blasted expectation, blat, blighted hope, blizzard, blockbuster,
     bloom, blooming, blossom, blossoming, blow, blow a horn,
     blow a hurricane, blow great guns, blow off, blow out, blow over,
     blow the horn, blow up, blowhard, blowing, blowout, blunder away,
     bluster, bobble, bomb, bombast, bombshell, bonk, boot, bop, botch,
     box, brag, bray, break, break down, breath, breathe, breathe hard,
     breathe in, breathe out, breather, breathing space, breeze,
     breeze up, brew, bring to maturity, buffet, bugger up, bugle, bump,
     bungle, burgeon, burn out, burst, burst into bloom, bust, calamity,
     carillon, casualty, cataclysm, catastrophe, catch, chop, clarion,
     clean out, clear, clear away, clear off, clear out,
     clear the decks, clip, clout, clump, cock-a-doodle-doo, collapse,
     collision, come to fruition, come up, comedown, concussion,
     consume, contretemps, cough, coup, crack, crack up, crack-up,
     cramp, crash, crow, cruel disappointment, cuff, cut, cyclone, dash,
     dashed hope, dealings, deed, defeat, defecate, depart, deplete,
     destroy, detonate, dig, ding, dint, disappointment, disaster,
     discomfiture, disillusionment, dissatisfaction, dissipate, distend,
     distress, dither, dog it, doing, doings, dolor, doodle,
     double-tongue, douse, drain, droop, drop, drop a brick,
     drop the ball, drub, drubbing, drumming, duck and run, duck out,
     duff, dynamite, earthshaker, effloresce, efflorescence, effort,
     eliminate, embroider, emit, empty, empty out, endeavor, enlarge,
     enterprise, equinoctial, evacuate, exaggerate, exhale, exhaust,
     exit, expand, expel, expire, explode, exploit, extinguish,
     eye-opener, failure, faint, fait accompli, fallen countenance, fan,
     fatigue, feast, feat, festal board, fiasco, fife, fizzle, flag,
     flare up, flaw, floreate, florescence, floret, floriculture,
     floscule, flourish, flower, flowerage, floweret, flowering, flub,
     fluff, flurry, flute, foiling, fool away, foozle, forlorn hope,
     foul up, freshen, fritter, frustration, fuck up, full bloom,
     fumble, fume, fusillade, gale, gamble away, gardening, gasconade,
     gasp, gather, gest, get away, get off, get tired, give off,
     give out, give vent to, go, go through, goof, goof up, grief,
     groaning board, grow up, grow weary, gulp, gust, hack, half a gale,
     hand, handiwork, hang the expense, heave, heavy blow, hesitate,
     hiccup, hit, honk, hope deferred, horticulture, hortorium, huff,
     hurricane, hurt, ill hap, ill wind, increase, inflate, inhale,
     injury, inspire, jab, jade, jar, job, joker, jolt, kicker, knock,
     lam, lavish, lay it on, leave, lesion, let out, letdown, lick,
     line squall, line storm, lip, louse up, magnify, maneuver,
     maturate, mature, measure, mellow, mess, mess up, mirage,
     misadventure, mischance, misfortune, mishap, mismanage, mouth,
     move, muck up, muff, nasty blow, open the floodgates,
     open the sluices, operation, overstate, overt act, pain, pang,
     pant, passage, passion, peal, pelt, percussion, performance,
     peripeteia, peter out, pile it on, pileup, pipe, pipe up, play out,
     plug, plunk, poke, pontificate, poop out, posy, pound, prate,
     proceeding, production, puff, puff and blow, pull a boner,
     pull out, punch, purge, quit, rage, rap, reach its season,
     reach maturity, reek, remove, res gestae, respire, respite, retire,
     revelation, ripe, ripen, rodomontade, ruffle, run down, run out,
     run through, scatter, scour out, scram, screw up, scud,
     seize the day, set in, set up, setback, shatter, shilly-shally,
     shipwreck, shock, shocker, shoot the shit, short-circuit, shout,
     shriek, sigh, sink, skin out, slam, slap, slather, slog, slosh,
     slug, smack, smash, smashup, smoke, sneeze, sniff, sniffle, snore,
     snort, snuff, snuffle, sock, sore, sore disappointment, sore spot,
     sound, sound a tattoo, sound taps, souse, sow broadcast, spasm,
     spend, squall, squall line, squander, squeal, staggerer,
     staggering blow, stand, startler, steam, step, storm, storm wind,
     stormy winds, stress, stress of life, stroke, strong wind, stunt,
     succumb, suffering, surprisal, surprise, surprise ending,
     surprise package, surprise party, swap, swat, sweep out, swell,
     swing, swipe, switch, take a powder, talk big, talk highfalutin,
     tantalization, tattoo, tease, tempest, tempestuous wind, ten,
     tender spot, thick squall, thing, thing done, throes, throw away,
     throw money around, throw off, throw out, thump, thunderbolt,
     thunderclap, thundersquall, thwack, tire, token punishment, tongue,
     toot, tootle, tornado, tour de force, tragedy, transaction,
     trifle away, triple-tongue, tropical cyclone, trumpet, turn,
     tweedle, typhoon, ugly wind, unclog, undertaking, unfolding,
     unfoldment, unfoul, vacillate, vamoose, vapor, vaunt, vent,
     violent blow, void, waft, wallop, waste, weary, welt, whack,
     wheeze, whiff, whiffle, whine, whirlwind, whistle, white squall,
     whole gale, whomp, whop, wildflower, williwaw, wilt, wind,
     wind gust, wind the horn, wind-shift line, windstorm, winnow,
     withdraw, work, works, wound, wreck, wrench, yerk