blow
High (B1)Neutral (with some vulgar specific senses)
Definition
Meaning
To move air or wind; to expel air from the mouth; to cause something to move by air or force.
A wide semantic range including: to damage or destroy suddenly (e.g., a fuse blows); to fail in an opportunity (e.g., blow a chance); to spend money recklessly; to leave; to perform fellatio (vulgar). Also a noun meaning a hard hit or a setback.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Highly polysemous verb with many phrasal verbs and idioms. The core physical sense is foundational, but many extended senses are common. The noun form often implies a negative impact.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minor. 'Blow' as a noun for 'cocaine' is more common in US slang. 'Blow one's top/stack' (lose temper) is equally common. 'Blow-dry' (styling hair) is universal.
Connotations
Similar across dialects, though 'blow' meaning 'to leave' (e.g., 'Let's blow this joint') is more strongly associated with American informal usage.
Frequency
Similar overall frequency. The sense 'to spend a lot of money quickly' (e.g., 'He blew his inheritance') is very common in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
SV (The wind blows.)SVO (She blew the candles out.)SVA (He blew on the soup.)SVOA (The explosion blew the windows out.)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “blow hot and cold”
- “blow your own trumpet”
- “blow the whistle”
- “blow someone away”
- “blow your top”
- “blow a gasket”
- “blow your cover”
- “blow your chance”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"The scandal could blow the deal." (ruin); "They blew the budget on marketing." (overspent)
Academic
"The findings blew apart the previous theory." (disproved dramatically)
Everyday
"Can you blow on my tea? It's too hot."; "I need to blow my nose."
Technical
"The transformer blew due to a power surge." (fused/burned out)
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- A gale will blow in from the Atlantic tonight.
- Don't blow all your money on the first day.
- The whistle blew for half-time.
American English
- The storm is going to blow through by morning.
- He totally blew his audition.
- My tire blew out on the freeway.
adverb
British English
- (Rare/Non-standard) Not applicable.
American English
- (Rare/Non-standard) Not applicable.
adjective
British English
- (Rare as pure adjective, participle used) The blown glass vase was beautiful.
- The blown fuses need replacing.
American English
- (Similar) We found a blown transformer on the pole.
- She admired the blown decorations.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The wind blows the leaves.
- Blow out the candles on your cake.
- It's cold. Blow on your hands.
- I need to blow my nose; I have a cold.
- The strong wind blew the door shut.
- He blew the whistle to stop the game.
- The scandal could blow the election wide open.
- She blew her top when she saw the mess.
- They blew the entire budget on a fancy launch party.
- The agent's cover was blown after a single careless phone call.
- The new evidence blew a hole in the prosecution's case.
- He had a chance to win but blew it in the final seconds.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
BLOW = Breeze/Like Air Or Wind. Think of your mouth forming an 'O' to blow out candles.
Conceptual Metaphor
AIR/WIND IS AN AGENT OF CHANGE/DESTRUCTION (blow away, blow up, blow a fuse); WASTING MONEY IS DISPERSING IT WITH AIR (blow your savings); FAILING IS BURSTING (blow an exam).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Not 'to beat' (бить) in most contexts – that's 'hit' or 'strike'. 'Blow' as a noun *can* mean a hit.
- Confusing 'blow up' (взорвать) with 'grow up' (вырасти).
- Misusing 'blow' for the Russian 'дуть' meaning 'to be drafty' – English uses 'there's a draught'.
Common Mistakes
- *He blows on the guitar. (He plays the guitar.) Correct: He blows into the saxophone.
- *She blows her hair. (She dries her hair with a dryer.) Correct: She blow-dries her hair.
- *The wind is blowing strong. Correct: The wind is blowing strongly / is strong.
Practice
Quiz
In the sentence 'The fuse blew,' what is the most likely meaning?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, its core meaning relates to air movement, but it has many extended meanings like to fail, to explode, to spend wastefully, and informal ones like to leave.
They are often synonymous. 'Blow up' can be transitive (He blew up the bridge) or intransitive (The bridge blew up). 'Explode' is slightly more formal and often intransitive (The device exploded).
Yes, commonly meaning a hard hit with a hand or weapon ('a blow to the head') or a sudden setback ('a blow to our plans').
No, it's the standard, neutral phrase for the action. It's perfectly polite to say 'excuse me, I need to blow my nose.'