Blow — Defs

01 v. i. To flower; to blossom; to bloom.

imp. Blew; p. p. Blown; p. pr. & vb. n. Blowing

1.
To flower; to blossom; to bloom.
“How blows the citron grove.” — Milton.

02 v. t. To cause to blossom; to put forth (blossoms or flowers).

1.
To cause to blossom; to put forth (blossoms or flowers).
“The odorous banks, that blow Flowers of more mingled hue.” — Milton.

03 n. A blossom; a flower; also, a state of blossoming; a mass of blossoms.

1.
A blossom; a flower; also, a state of blossoming; a mass of blossoms.(Bot.)

04 n. A forcible stroke with the hand, fist, or some instrument, as a rod, a club, an ax, or a sword.

1.
A forcible stroke with the hand, fist, or some instrument, as a rod, a club, an ax, or a sword.
“Well struck ! there was blow for blow.” — Shak.
2.
A sudden or forcible act or effort; an assault.
“A vigorous blow might win [Hanno's camp].” — T. Arnold.
3.
The infliction of evil; a sudden calamity; something which produces mental, physical, or financial suffering or loss (esp. when sudden); a buffet.
“A most poor man, made tame to fortune's blows.” — Shak.

Phrases & compounds

At a blow — suddenly; at one effort; by a single vigorous act.

To come to blows — to engage in combat; to fight; -- said of individuals, armies, and nations.

Syn. Stroke; knock; shock; misfortune.

05 v. i. To produce a current of air; to move, as air, esp. to move rapidly or with power; as, the wind blows.

imp. Blew; p. p. Blown; p. pr. & vb. n. Blowing

1.
To produce a current of air; to move, as air, esp. to move rapidly or with power; as, the wind blows.
“Hark how it rains and blows !” — Walton.
2.
To send forth a forcible current of air, as from the mouth or from a pair of bellows.
3.
To breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff.
“Here is Mistress Page at the door, sweating and blowing.” — Shak.
4.
To sound on being blown into, as a trumpet.
“There let the pealing organ blow.” — Milton.
5.
To spout water, etc., from the blowholes, as a whale.
6.
To be carried or moved by the wind; as, the dust blows in from the street.
“The grass blows from their graves to thy own.” — M. Arnold.
7.
To talk loudly; to boast; to storm.[Colloq.]
“You blow behind my back, but dare not say anything to my face.” — Bartlett.
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.
9.
To deflate by sudden loss of air; usually used with out; -- of inflatable tires.

Phrases & compounds

To blow hot and cold — 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 — To be driven out by the expansive force of a gas or vapor; as, a steam cock or valve sometimes blows out.

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.

06 v. t. To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means; as, to blow the fire.

1.
To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means; as, to blow the fire.
2.
To drive by a current air; to impel; as, the tempest blew the ship ashore.
“Off at sea northeast winds blow Sabean odors from the spicy shore.” — Milton.
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.
“Hath she no husband That will take pains to blow a horn before her?” — Shak.

“Boy, blow the pipe until the bubble rise, Then cast it off to float upon the skies.” — Parnell.
4.
To clear of contents by forcing air through; as, to blow an egg; to blow one's nose.
5.
To burst, shatter, or destroy by an explosion; -- usually with up, down, open, or similar adverb; as, to blow up a building.
6.
To spread by report; to publish; to disclose; to reveal, intentionally or inadvertently; as, to blow an agent's cover.
“Through the court his courtesy was blown.” — Dryden.

“His language does his knowledge blow.” — Whiting.
7.
To form by inflation; to swell by injecting air; as, to blow bubbles; to blow glass.
8.
To inflate, as with pride; to puff up.
“Look how imagination blows him.” — Shak.
9.
To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue; as, to blow a horse.
10.
To deposit eggs or larvæ upon, or in (meat, etc.).
“To suffer The flesh fly blow my mouth.” — Shak.
11.
To perform an act of fellatio on; to stimulate another's penis with one's mouth; -- usually considered vulgar.[slang]
12.
to smoke (e. g. marijuana); to blow pot.[colloq.]
13.
to botch; to bungle; as, he blew his chance at a good job by showing up late for the interview.[colloq.]
14.
to leave; to depart from; as, to blow town.[slang]
15.
to squander; as, he blew his inheritance gambling.[colloq.]
“I have blown him up well -- nobody can say I wink at what he does.” — G. Eliot.

“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.

“A lady's maid whose character had been blown upon.” — Macaulay.

07 n. A blowing, esp., a violent blowing of the wind; a gale; as, a heavy blow came on, and the ship put back to port.

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.
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.
3.
The spouting of a whale.
4.
A single heat or operation of the Bessemer converter.(Metal.)
5.
An egg, or a larva, deposited by a fly on or in flesh, or the act of depositing it.