wikipedia|dab=Blow
English

Etymology
OE. blawan "make an air current, sound a wind instrument" (past tense bleow, pp. blawen), from Proto-Germanic *blæ-anan, from Proto-Indo-European *bhle- "to swell, blow up".

Pronunciation
IPA|/bl��/, /bl��/
SAMPA|/'blOU/
audio|en-us-blow.ogg|Audio (US)
:Rhymes: Rhymes:English:-��|-��

Verb
en-verb|blows|blowing|blew or (dialect) blowed|blown or (dialect) blowed

1. intransitive To produce an air current

#*Quotations
#:Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow! -- King Lear

1. intransitive To be propelled by an air current.

#:The leaves blow through the streets in the fall.

1. intransitive To explode

#:Get away from that burning gas tank! It's about to blow!

1. intransitive slang To be very undesirable (see also suck)

#:This blows!

1. intransitive (of a cetacean) To exhale visibly through the spout the seawater it has taken in while feeding.

#:There's nothing more thrilling to the whale watcher than to see a whale surface and blow.
#:There she blows! (That is, "I see a whale spouting!")

1. transitive To propel by an air current.

#:Blow the dust off that book and open it up.

1. transitive To squander.

#:I managed to blow $1000 at blackjack in under an hour.

1. transitive vulgar To fellate.

#:Who did you have to blow to get those backstage passes?

1. transitive To create or shape by blowing; as, to blow bubbles, to blow glass
2. transitive To play a musical instrument such as a horn or woodwind.

#:"He was blowing saxophone for me." Ike Turner, interview by Terri Gross, "Fresh Air", NPR, 1996.

1. transitive To leave

#:Let's blow this joint.

Derived terms
blow a kiss
glassblower

Translations
trans-top|produce an air current
Chinese traditional/simplified: �, � (chuī)
Dutch: blazen
Português: assoprar
Finnish: puhaltaa
French: souffler
German: blasen, pusten, wehen
Hungarian: fúj
Japanese: �� (��, fuku)
Korean: �� (bulda)
trans-mid
Kurdish: KUchar|��
Russian: д��� (dut') impf, д�н��� (dúnut') pf; �мо�ка���� (smorkát's'a) impf, �мо�кн����� (smorknút's'a) pf blow the nose
Slovene: pihati
Spanish: soplar
Vietnamese: th�i; phù, phù phù (to blow on food)
trans-bottom

trans-top|be propelled by an air current <!--2-->
Chinese traditional/simplified: �風��, �風�� (suí f�ng pi�o dòng)
Finnish: puhaltua
German: wehen
Korean: �리� (bullida)
trans-mid
Vietnamese: bay
trans-bottom

trans-top|explode <!--3-->
Chinese tradtional/simplified: ��, �� (bào zhà)
Português: explodir
Dutch: springen, ontploffen
Finnish: räjähtää
French: exploser
German: hochgehen, in die Luft gehen, explodieren
Hebrew: ��תפ�צץ (le'hitpotzetz)
trans-mid
Japanese: ���� (������, bakuhatsu-suru)
Korean: ��� (teojida)
Russian: вз��ва���� ((vzryvát's'a) impf, взо�ва���� (vzorvát's'a) pf, взле�а�� на возд�� (vzletát' na vózdu�) impf, взле�е�� на возд�� (vzlet'ét' na vózdu�) pf
Vietnamese: n�
trans-bottom

trans-top|be very undesirable <!--4-->
Chinese traditional/simplified: �砸, �砸 (g�o zá)
Finnish: olla syvä|syvältä
Korean: �기� (jegiral) (interjection)
trans-mid
Vietnamese: tẽn tò, tẽn, thẹn thò, thẹn
trans-bottom

trans-top|(of a cetacean) exhale visibly through the spout the seawater <!--5-->
Chinese tradtional/simplified: �氣, �氣 (chu�n qì)
Dutch: spuiten
Finnish: suihkuttaa
Korean: �� (ppumda)
trans-mid
Vietnamese: phun nư�c
trans-bottom

trans-top|propel by an air current <!--6-->
Chinese traditional/simplified: �走, �走 (gu� z�u)
Dutch: blazen
Finnish: puhaltaa
German: blasen, wegblasen, fortblasen, hinfortblasen, pusten, wegpusten
Korean: �� (bulda)
trans-mid
Russian: �д�ва�� (sduvát') impf, �д��� (sdut') pf
Vietnamese: th�, th�i
trans-bottom

trans-top|squander <!--7-->
Chinese tradtional/simplified: 浪費, 浪費 (làng fèi)
Finnish: tuhlata, törsätä
Korean: �리� (nallida)
trans-mid
Russian: п�од�ва�� (produvát') impf, п�од��� (prodút') pf
Vietnamese: xài phí, phung phí
trans-bottom

trans-top|fellate <!--8-->
Catalan: llepar
Dutch: pijpen
Finnish: ottaa suu|suihin
French: sucer, tailler une pipe
Korean: ���� (ayang-tteolda)
Polish: robi� loda, liza� pa��, obci�ga� loda, obci�ga� fiuta, obci�ga� chuja
trans-mid
Russian: �о�а�� (sosát') impf, о��о�а�� (otsosát') pf
Serbian:
:*Cyrillic: п��и�и
:*Roman: pušiti
trans-bottom

trans-top|create or shape by blowing <!--9-->
Chinese traditional/simplified: �氣, �氣 (chuī qì)
Dutch: blazen
Finnish: puhaltaa
Hebrew: �נפ� (le'nape'akh)
trans-mid
Korean: �� (bulda)
Russian: в�д�ва�� (vyduvát') impf, в�д��� (výdut') pf
Vietnamese: th�i
trans-bottom

trans-top|leave <!--10-->
Chinese traditional/simplified: ��, �� (lí k�i)
Finnish: häipyä
Korean: 그��� (geuman-duda)
trans-mid
Vietnamese: b� �i, chu�n
trans-bottom

Translations to be checked
checktrans
trans-top|Translations to be categorized
intransitive meanings
ttbc|Esperanto: blovi
ttbc|Indonesian: tiup|meniup, ledak|meledakkan
ttbc|Telugu: �ద� (oodu), ��������నిప�వ� (koTTukonipOvu), వ��� (veecu)
trans-bottom

Noun
en-noun

1. The act of striking or hitting. <!--1-->

#:A fabricator is used to direct a sharp blow to the surface of the stone.
#:During an exchange to end round 13, Duran landed a blow to the mid-section.

1. An unfortunate occurrence. <!--2-->

#:A further blow to the group came in 1917 when Thomson died while canoeing in Algonquin Park.

1. slang (uncountable) cocaine <!--3-->
2. A strong wind. <!--4-->

#:We're having a bit of a blow this afternoon.

1. colloquial A chance to catch one�s breath. <!--5-->

#:The players were able to get a bit of a blow during the last timeout.

Translations
trans-top| act of striking or hitting
Dutch: slag m
Finnish: isku
French: coup m
German: Schlag m
trans-mid
Italian: botta f
Russian: �да� (udár) m
Telugu: ద�బ�బ
trans-bottom

trans-top|unfortunate occurrence
Dutch: slag m, tegenslag m
Finnish: takaisku
German: Rückschlag m
trans-mid
Russian: �да� (udár) m
Telugu: ద�బ�బ (2)
trans-bottom

trans-top|cocaine
See: cocaine
trans-bottom

trans-top|strong wind
Finnish: puhuri, kova tuuli
German: Böe f
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|chance to catch one�s breath
Finnish: hengähdystauko, henki|henkeä
trans-mid
Russian: пе�ед��ка (p'er'edýška) f
trans-bottom

Translations to be checked
checktrans
trans-top|Translations to be categorized
ttbc|Esperanto: bato, frapo
trans-bottom

Related terms

blow away
blow job
blow off
blow up
blowup
blow out
blowout
mid
blowhard
body blow
low blow
blow-by-blow
blower
blow it

Anagrams
bowl

Category:1000 English basic words
Category:English irregular verbs

ar:blow
de:blow
el:blow
es:blow
fr:blow
gl:blow
ko:blow
hy:blow
io:blow
it:blow
ku:blow
hu:blow
pl:blow
ru:blow
simple:blow
fi:blow
ta:blow
te:blow
vi:blow
tr:blow
uk:blow
zh:blow

• 2007-12-29 20:42 - Chloejr - checked chinese translation

Full Revision History