VocabauraVOCABAURA

blow

verb · noun · adjective

Simple meaning

To propel by an air current, usually with the mouth.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

bloh
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbloʊ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To propel by an air current (or, if under water, a water current), usually with the mouth.

  2. intransitive

    To produce an air current.

  3. transitive

    To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means.

  4. intransitive

    To make a sound as a result of being blown.

  5. transitive

    To clear of contents by forcing air through.

  6. Exhale hard

noun

  1. A strong current of air

  2. A strong wind.

  3. Street names for cocaine

  4. An instance of the act of striking or hitting.

  5. A sudden or forcible act or effort; an assault.

  6. AustraliaNew Zealand

    An outcrop of quartz from surrounding rock, thought to indicate mineral deposits below.

adjective

  1. (chiefly dialectal Northern England or puristic, otherwise obsolete) Blue.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To propel by an air current (or, if under water, a water current), usually with the mouth.

Used this way, blow is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use blow

  • “He gave his nose a loud blow.”noun

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “blow”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

final blowwinds blow

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • blowingnounInflected form

    Processing that involves blowing a gas.

  • blowernounInflected form

    A device that produces a current of air.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • blow oververbCompound term

    Disappear gradually.

  • blow dryernounCompound term

    A hand-held electric blower that can blow warm air onto the hair.

  • blow out of the waterverbCompound term

    Surprise greatly.

  • blow flynounCompound term

    Large usually hairy metallic blue or green fly.

  • blow outverbCompound term

    Melt, break, or become otherwise unusable.

  • blow one's stackverbCompound term

    Get very angry and fly into a rage.

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “blow” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.