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Blows

 - 13 dictionary results

blow

1  [bloh]
Use Blows in a Sentence
–noun
1. a sudden, hard stroke with a hand, fist, or weapon: a blow to the head.
2. a sudden shock, calamity, reversal, etc.: His wife's death was a terrible blow to him.
3. a sudden attack or drastic action: The invaders struck a blow to the south.
—Idioms
4. at one blow, with a single act: He became wealthy and famous at one blow. Also, at a blow.
5. come to blows, to begin to fight, esp. to engage in physical combat: They came to blows over the referee's ruling.
6. strike a blow, to hit.
7. strike a blow for, to further or advance the cause of: to strike a blow for civil rights.
8. without striking a blow, without a battle or contest: The military coup was accomplished without striking a blow.
Origin:
1425–75; late ME blaw, northern form repr. later blowe; akin to OHG bliuwan, Goth bliggwan to beat

Synonyms:
1. buffet, thump, thwack, rap, slap, cuff, box, beat, knock. 1, 2. Blow, stroke, hit, slap refer to a sudden or forceful impact, but differ in their literal and figurative uses. Blow emphasizes the violence of the impact and, figuratively, adverse fortune: a blow from a hammer; a blow to one's hopes. Stroke emphasizes movement as well as impact; it indicates precision or, figuratively, either good fortune or sudden or unexpected pain or misfortune: the stroke of a piston; a stroke of luck, of lightning; a paralytic stroke. Hit, in its current uses, emphasizes the successful result of a literal or figurative blow, impact, or impression, for example in baseball, social life, the theater: a two-base hit; to make a hit with someone; a smash hit. Slap, a blow with the open hand or with something flat, emphasizes the instrument with which the blow is delivered and, often, the resulting sound; figuratively, it connotes an unfriendly or sarcastic statement, action, or attitude: Her coldness was like a slap in the face; the slap of a beaver's tail on the water.

blow

2  [bloh] verb, blew, blown, blow⋅ing, noun
–verb (used without object)
1. (of the wind or air) to be in motion.
2. to move along, carried by or as by the wind: Dust seemed to blow through every crack in the house.
3. to produce or emit a current of air, as with the mouth or a bellows: Blow on your hands to warm them.
4. (of a horn, trumpet, etc.) to give out sound.
5. to make a blowing sound; whistle: The siren blew just as we rounded the corner.
6. (of horses) to breathe hard or quickly; pant.
7. Informal. to boast; brag: He kept blowing about his medals.
8. Zoology. (of a whale) to spout.
9. (of a fuse, light bulb, vacuum tube, tire, etc.) to burst, melt, stop functioning, or be destroyed by exploding, overloading, etc. (often fol. by out): A fuse blew just as we sat down to dinner. The rear tire blew out.
10. to burst from internal pressure: Poorly sealed cans will often blow.
11. Slang. to leave; depart.
–verb (used with object)
12. to drive by means of a current of air: A sudden breeze blew the smoke into the house.
13. to spread or make widely known: Growing panic blew the rumor about.
14. to drive a current of air upon.
15. to clear or empty by forcing air through: Try blowing your nose.
16. to shape (glass, smoke, etc.) with a current of air: to blow smoke rings.
17. to cause to sound, as by a current of air: Blow your horn at the next crossing.
18. Jazz. to play (a musical instrument of any kind).
19. to cause to explode (often fol. by up, to bits, etc.): A mine blew the ship to bits.
20. to burst, melt, burn out, or destroy by exploding, overloading, etc. (often fol. by out): to blow a tire; blow a fuse.
21. to destroy; demolish (usually fol. by down, over, etc.): The windstorm blew down his house.
22. Informal.
a. to spend money on.
b. to squander; spend quickly: He blew a fortune on racing cars.
c. to waste; lose: The team blew the lead by making a bad play.
23. Informal. to mishandle, ruin, botch; make a mess of; bungle: With one stupid mistake he blew the whole project. It was your last chance and you blew it!
24. Slang. to damn: Blow the cost!
25. to put (a horse) out of breath by fatigue.
26. Slang. to depart from: to blow town.
27. Slang: Vulgar. to perform fellatio on.
28. Slang. to smoke (marijuana or other drugs).
–noun
29. a blast of air or wind: to clean machinery with a blow.
30. Informal. a violent windstorm, gale, hurricane, or the like: one of the worst blows we ever had around here.
31. an act of producing a blast of air, as in playing a wind instrument: a few discordant blows by the bugler.
32. Metallurgy.
a. a blast of air forced through a converter, as in the production of steel or copper.
b. the stage of the production process during which this blast is used.
33. Civil Engineering. boil 1 (def. 12).
34. Slang. cocaine.
—Verb phrases
35. blow away, Slang.
a. to kill, esp. by gunfire: The gang threatened to blow away anyone who talked to the police.
b. to defeat decisively; trounce: She blew her opponent away in three straight sets.
c. to overwhelm with emotion, astonishment, etc.: Good poetry just blows me away.
36. blow down, Metallurgy. to suspend working of (a blast furnace) by smelting the existing charge with a diminishing blast.
37. blow in,
a. Slang. to arrive at a place, esp. unexpectedly: My uncle just blew in from Sacramento.
b. Metallurgy. to begin operations in (a blast furnace).
38. blow out,
a. to become extinguished: The candles blew out at once.
b. to lose force or cease: The storm has blown itself out.
c. (of an oil or gas well) to lose oil or gas uncontrollably.
d. Metallurgy. to blow down and clean (a blast furnace) in order to shut down.
39. blow over,
a. to pass away; subside: The storm blew over in five minutes.
b. to be forgotten: The scandal will eventually blow over.
40. blow up,
a. to come into being: A storm suddenly blew up.
b. to explode: The ship blew up.
c. to cause to explode: to blow up a bridge.
d. to exaggerate; enlarge: He blew up his own role in his account of the project.
e. Informal. to lose one's temper: When he heard she had quit school, he blew up.
f. to fill with air; inflate: to blow up a tire.
g. Photography. to make an enlarged reproduction of.
h. Mathematics. (of a function) to become infinite.
—Idioms
41. blow hot and cold, to favor something at first and reject it later on; waver; vacillate: His enthusiasm for the job blows hot and cold.
42. blow off,
a. to allow steam to be released.
b. Informal. to reduce or release tension, as by loud talking.
43. blow one's cool, Slang. to lose one's composure; become angry, frantic, or flustered.
44. blow one's cover. cover (def. 53).
45. blow one's lines, Theater. to forget or make an error in a speaking part or stage directions.
46. blow one's mind. mind (def. 35).
47. blow one's stack. stack (def. 23).
48. blow one's top. top 1 (def. 42).
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME blowen (v.), OE blāwan; c. L flāre to blow

blow

3  [bloh] noun, verb, blew, blown, blow⋅ing.
–noun
1. a yield or display of blossoms: the lilac's lavender blows.
2. a display of anything bright or brilliant: a rich, full blow of color.
3. state of blossoming; a flowering: a border of tulips in full blow.
–verb (used without object), verb (used with object)
4. Archaic. to blossom or cause to blossom.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME blowen (v.), OE blōwan; akin to G blühen to bloom, L flōs flower

boil

1  [boil]
–verb (used without object)
1. to change from a liquid to a gaseous state, producing bubbles of gas that rise to the surface of the liquid, agitating it as they rise.
2. to reach or be brought to the boiling point: When the water boils, add the meat and cabbage.
3. to be in an agitated or violent state: The sea boiled in the storm.
4. to be deeply stirred or upset.
5. to contain, or be contained in, a liquid that boils: The kettle is boiling. The vegetables are boiling.
–verb (used with object)
6. to cause to boil or to bring to the boiling point: Boil two cups of water.
7. to cook (something) in boiling water: to boil eggs.
8. to separate (sugar, salt, etc.) from a solution containing it by boiling off the liquid.
–noun
9. the act or an instance of boiling.
10. the state or condition of boiling: He brought a kettle of water to a boil.
11. an area of agitated, swirling, bubbling water, as part of a rapids.
12. Also called blow. Civil Engineering. an unwanted flow of water and solid matter into an excavation, due to excessive outside water pressure.
—Verb phrases
13. boil down,
a. to reduce the quantity of by boiling off liquid.
b. to shorten; abridge.
c. to be simplifiable or summarizable as; lead to the conclusion that; point: It all boils down to a clear case of murder.
14. boil over,
a. to overflow while boiling or as if while boiling; burst forth; erupt.
b. to be unable to repress anger, excitement, etc.: Any mention of the incident makes her boil over.
—Idiom
15. boil off, Textiles.
a. to degum (silk).
b. to remove (sizing, wax, impurities, or the like) from a fabric by subjecting it to a hot scouring solution.
Also, boil out.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME boillen < AF, OF boillir < L bullīre to bubble, effervesce, boil, v. deriv. of bulla bubble

Synonyms:
3. foam, churn, froth. 4. rage. Boil, seethe, simmer, stew are used figuratively to refer to agitated states of emotion. To boil suggests the state of being very hot with anger or rage: Rage made his blood boil. To seethe is to be deeply stirred, violently agitated, or greatly excited: A mind seething with conflicting ideas. To simmer means to be on the point of bursting out or boiling over: to simmer with curiosity, with anger. To stew is to worry, to be in a restless state of anxiety and excitement: to stew about (or over) one's troubles.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Blows
blow 1   (blō)   
v.   blew (blōō), blown (blōn), blow·ing, blows

v.   intr.

  1. To be in a state of motion. Used of the air or of wind.

  2. To move along or be carried by or as if by the wind: Her hat blew away.

  3. To expel a current of air, as from the mouth or from a bellows.

  4. To produce a sound by expelling a current of air, as in sounding a wind instrument or a whistle.

  5. To breathe hard; pant.

  6. To storm: It blew all night.

  7. To release air or gas suddenly; burst or explode: The tire blew.

    1. To fail or break down, as from being operated under extreme or improper conditions: The furnace blew during the cold snap.

    2. To melt or otherwise become disabled. Used of a fuse.

  9. To spout moist air from the blowhole. Used of a whale.

  10. Informal To boast.

  11. Slang To go away; depart.

v.   tr.

  1. To cause to move by means of a current of air.

  2. To expel (air) from the mouth.

  3. To cause air or gas to be expelled suddenly from: blew a tire.

  4. To drive a current of air on, in, or through: blew my hair dry after I shampooed it.

  5. To clear out or make free of obstruction by forcing air through: constantly blowing his nose in allergy season.

  6. To shape or form (glass, for example) by forcing air or gas through at the end of a pipe.

  7. Music

    1. To cause (a wind instrument) to sound.

    2. To sound: a bugle blowing taps.

    3. To cause to be out of breath.

    4. To allow (a winded horse) to regain its breath.

    5. To cause to fail or break down, as by operating at extreme or improper conditions: blew the engine on the last lap.

    6. To cause (a fuse) to melt or become disabled.

    7. To spend (money) freely and rashly. See Synonyms at waste.

    8. To spend money freely on; treat: blew me to a sumptuous dinner.

    9. Slang To spoil or lose through ineptitude. See Synonyms at botch.

    10. To cause (a covert intelligence operation or operative) to be revealed and thereby jeopardized: a story in the press that blew their cover; an agent who was blown by the opposition.

    1. To cause to be out of breath.

    2. To allow (a winded horse) to regain its breath.

    3. To cause to fail or break down, as by operating at extreme or improper conditions: blew the engine on the last lap.

    4. To cause (a fuse) to melt or become disabled.

    5. To spend (money) freely and rashly. See Synonyms at waste.

    6. To spend money freely on; treat: blew me to a sumptuous dinner.

    7. Slang To spoil or lose through ineptitude. See Synonyms at botch.

    8. To cause (a covert intelligence operation or operative) to be revealed and thereby jeopardized: a story in the press that blew their cover; an agent who was blown by the opposition.

  9. To demolish by the force of an explosion: An artillery shell blew our headquarters apart.

  10. To lay or deposit eggs in. Used of certain insects.

    1. To cause to fail or break down, as by operating at extreme or improper conditions: blew the engine on the last lap.

    2. To cause (a fuse) to melt or become disabled.

    3. To spend (money) freely and rashly. See Synonyms at waste.

    4. To spend money freely on; treat: blew me to a sumptuous dinner.

    5. Slang To spoil or lose through ineptitude. See Synonyms at botch.

    6. To cause (a covert intelligence operation or operative) to be revealed and thereby jeopardized: a story in the press that blew their cover; an agent who was blown by the opposition.

  12. Slang

    1. To spend (money) freely and rashly. See Synonyms at waste.

    2. To spend money freely on; treat: blew me to a sumptuous dinner.

    3. Slang To spoil or lose through ineptitude. See Synonyms at botch.

    4. To cause (a covert intelligence operation or operative) to be revealed and thereby jeopardized: a story in the press that blew their cover; an agent who was blown by the opposition.

  13. Vulgar Slang To perform fellatio on.

    1. Slang To spoil or lose through ineptitude. See Synonyms at botch.

    2. To cause (a covert intelligence operation or operative) to be revealed and thereby jeopardized: a story in the press that blew their cover; an agent who was blown by the opposition.

  15. Slang To depart (a place) in a great hurry: Let's blow this city no later than noon.

n.  

  1. The act or an instance of blowing.

    1. A blast of air or wind.

    2. A storm.

  3. Informal An act of bragging.

  4. Slang Cocaine.

  5. To kill by shooting, especially with a firearm.

  6. To defeat decisively.

  7. To affect intensely; overwhelm: That concert blew me away.

  8. To relieve or release (pressure); let off.

  9. Slang To choose not to attend or accompany: They wanted us to come along, but we blew them off.

  10. To extinguish or be extinguished by a gust of air: blow out a candle.

  11. To fail, as an electrical apparatus.

  12. To erupt in an uncontrolled manner. Used of a gas or oil well.

  13. To come into being: A storm blew up.

  14. To fill with air; inflate: blow up a tire.

  15. To enlarge (a photographic image or print).

  16. To explode: bombs blowing up.

  17. To lose one's temper.

Phrasal Verb(s):
blow away Slang

  1. To kill by shooting, especially with a firearm.

  2. To defeat decisively.

  3. To affect intensely; overwhelm: That concert blew me away.

blow in Slang To arrive, especially when unexpected.
blow off

  1. To relieve or release (pressure); let off.

  2. Slang To choose not to attend or accompany: They wanted us to come along, but we blew them off.

blow out

  1. To extinguish or be extinguished by a gust of air: blow out a candle.

  2. To fail, as an electrical apparatus.

  3. To erupt in an uncontrolled manner. Used of a gas or oil well.

blow overTo subside, wane, or pass over with little lasting effect: The storm blew over quickly. The scandal will soon blow over.
blow up

  1. To come into being: A storm blew up.

  2. To fill with air; inflate: blow up a tire.

  3. To enlarge (a photographic image or print).

  4. To explode: bombs blowing up.

  5. To lose one's temper.


Idiom(s):
blow a fuse/gasket Slang To explode with anger.

Idiom(s):
blow hot and coldTo change one's opinion often on a matter; vacillate.

Idiom(s):
blow off steamTo give vent to pent-up emotion.

Idiom(s):
blow (one's) cool Slang To lose one's composure.

Idiom(s):
blow (one's) mind Slang To affect with intense emotion, such as amazement, excitement, or shock.

Idiom(s):
blow (one's) top/stack Informal To lose one's temper.

Idiom(s):
blow out of proportionTo make more of than is reasonable; exaggerate.

Idiom(s):
blow smoke

  1. To speak deceptively.

  2. To brag or exaggerate.


[Middle English blowen, from Old English blāwan; see bhlē- in Indo-European roots.]
blow 2   (blō)   
n.  

  1. A sudden hard stroke or hit, as with the fist or an object.

  2. An unexpected shock or calamity.

  3. An unexpected attack; an assault.


[Middle English blaw.]
blow 3   (blō)   
n.  

  1. A mass of blossoms: peach blow.

  2. The state of blossoming.

intr. & tr.v.   blew (blōō), blown (blōn), blow·ing, blows
To bloom or cause to bloom.

[From Middle English blowen, to bloom, from Old English blōwan; see bhel-3 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
blow (sth)

  1. tv.
    to ruin or waste something. : I had a chance to do it, but I blew it.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

blow  (v.1)
"move air," O.E. blawan "make an air current, sound a wind instrument" (class VII strong verb; past tense bleow, pp. blawen), from P.Gmc. *blæ-anan (cf. O.H.G. blaen), from PIE *bhle- "to swell, blow up" (cf. L. flare "to blow"). Slang "do fellatio on" sense is from 1933, as blow (someone) off, originally among prostitutes (blow job first recorded 1961 in the sexual sense; as recently as 1953 it meant "a type of airplane"). This usage is probably not connected to the colloquial imprecation (1781, associated with sailors, e.g. Popeye's "well, blow me down!"), which has pp. blowed. Meaning "to spend (money) foolishly and all at once" is 1890s; that of "bungle an opportunity" is from 1943. Blowhard (n.) "braggart" is from 1820s; blowout "big, loud party" is 1824. To blow up "explode" is from 1599.

boil  (v.)
c.1225, from O.Fr. boillir, from L. bullire "to bubble, seethe," from bulla "a bubble, knob." The native word is seethe. Fig. sense of "to agitate the feelings" is from 1648.
"I am impatient, and my blood boyls high." [Otway, "Alcibiades," 1675]
Boiler in the steam engine sense is from 1757; boilermaker "shot of whiskey with a glass of beer" is short for boilermaker's delight (1910), strong cheap whiskey, so called in jest from the notion that it would clean the scales from the interior of a boiler.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2blow
Function: noun
1 : the act of some insects of depositing eggs or larvae; also : a larva so deposited (as in a wound)—used chiefly of blowflies and flesh flies
2 : forcible ejection of air from the body (as in freeing the nose of mucus and debris)

Main Entry: boil
Pronunciation: 'boi(&)l
Function: noun
: a localized swelling and inflammation of the skin resulting from bacterial infection in a skingland, having a hard central core, and forming pus called also furuncle
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

boil (boil)
n.
A painful, circumscribed pus-filled inflammation of the skin and subcutaneous tissue usually caused by a local staphylococcal infection. Also called furuncle.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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