blow

[ bloh ]

/ bloʊ /

noun

a sudden, hard stroke with a hand, fist, or weapon: a blow to the head.

a sudden shock, calamity, reversal, etc.: His wife's death was a terrible blow to him.

a sudden attack or drastic action: The invaders struck a blow to the south.

Idioms for blow

at one blow, with a single act: He became wealthy and famous at one blow. Also at a blow.

come to blows, to begin to fight, especially to engage in physical combat: They came to blows over the referee's ruling.

strike a blow, to hit.

strike a blow for, to further or advance the cause of: to strike a blow for civil rights.

without striking a blow, without a battle or contest: The military coup was accomplished without striking a blow.

Origin of blow

1425–75; late Middle English blaw, northern form representing later blowe; akin to Old High German bliuwan, Gothic bliggwan to beat

SYNONYMS FOR blow

1 buffet, thump, thwack, rap, slap, cuff, box, beat, knock.

synonym study for blow

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.

Words nearby blow

blount's disease, blouse, blouson, blousy, bloviate, blow, blow a fuse, blow away, blow by blow, blow down, blow fly

British Dictionary definitions for at one blow (1 of 3)

blow ¹

/ (bləʊ) /

verb blows, blowing, blew or blown

(of a current of air, the wind, etc) to be or cause to be in motion

(intr) to move or be carried by or as if by wind or air a feather blew in through the window

to expel (air, cigarette smoke, etc) through the mouth or nose

to force or cause (air, dust, etc) to move (into, in, over, etc) by using an instrument or by expelling breath

(intr) to breathe hard; pant

(sometimes foll by up) to inflate with air or the breath

(intr) (of wind, a storm, etc) to make a roaring or whistling sound

to cause (a whistle, siren, etc) to sound by forcing air into it, as a signal, or (of a whistle, etc) to sound thus

(tr) to force air from the lungs through (the nose) to clear out mucus or obstructing matter

(often foll by up, down, in, etc) to explode, break, or disintegrate completely the bridge blew down in the gale

electronics to burn out (a fuse, valve, etc) because of excessive current or (of a fuse, valve, etc) to burn out

blow a fuse slang to lose one's temper

(intr) (of a whale) to spout water or air from the lungs

(tr) to wind (a horse) by making it run excessively

to cause (a wind instrument) to sound by forcing one's breath into the mouthpiece, or (of such an instrument) to sound in this way

(intr) jazz slang to play in a jam session

(intr) (of flies) to lay eggs (in)

to shape (glass, ornaments, etc) by forcing air or gas through the material when molten

(intr) mainly Scot, Australian and NZ to boast or brag

(tr) slang

to spend (money) freely
US to treat or entertain

(tr) slang to use (an opportunity) ineffectively

slang to go suddenly away (from)

(tr) slang to expose or betray (a person or thing meant to be kept secret)

(tr) US slang to inhale (a drug)

(intr) slang to masturbate

past participle blowed informal another word for damn I'll be blowed; blow it!

draughts another word for huff (def. 4)

blow hot and cold to vacillate

blow a kiss or blow kisses to kiss one's hand, then blow across it as if to carry the kiss through the air to another person

blow one's own trumpet to boast of one's own skills or good qualities

blow someone's mind slang

(of a drug, esp LSD) to alter someone's mental state
esp US and Canadian to astound or surprise someone

blow one's top, esp US and Canadian blow one's stack or blow one's lid informal to lose one's temper

noun

the act or an instance of blowing

the sound produced by blowing

a blast of air or wind

metallurgy

a stage in the Bessemer process in which air is blasted upwards through molten pig iron
the quantity of metal treated in a Bessemer converter

mining

a rush of air into a mine
the collapse of a mine roof

jazz slang a jam session

British a slang name for cannabis (def. 2)
US a slang name for cocaine

See also blow away, blow in, blow into, blow off, blow on, blow out, blow over, blow through, blow up

Word Origin for blow

Old English blāwan, related to Old Norse blǣr gust of wind, Old High German blāen, Latin flāre

British Dictionary definitions for at one blow (2 of 3)

blow ²

/ (bləʊ) /

noun

a powerful or heavy stroke with the fist, a weapon, etc

at one blow or at a blow by or with only one action; all at one time

a sudden setback; unfortunate event to come as a blow

come to blows

to fight
to result in a fight

an attacking action a blow for freedom

Australian and NZ a stroke of the shears in sheep-shearing

Word Origin for blow

C15: probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German bliuwan to beat

British Dictionary definitions for at one blow (3 of 3)

blow ³

/ (bləʊ) /

verb blows, blowing, blew or blown

(intr) (of a plant or flower) to blossom or open out

(tr) to produce (flowers)

noun

a mass of blossoms

the state or period of blossoming (esp in the phrase in full blow)

Word Origin for blow

Old English blōwan; related to Old Frisian blōia to bloom, Old High German bluoen, Latin flōs flower; see bloom 1

Idioms and Phrases with at one blow (1 of 2)

at one blow

see at one stroke.

Idioms and Phrases with at one blow (2 of 2)

blow

In addition to the idioms beginning with blow

blow a fuse
blow away
blow by blow
blow hot and cold
blow in
blow it
blow off
blow off steam
blow one's brains out
blow one's cool
blow one's cover
blow one's mind
blow one's own horn
blow one's top
blow out
blow over
blow sky-high
blow someone to
blow the lid off
blow the whistle on
blow up

also see:

at one stroke (blow)
body blow
come to blows
keep (blow) one's cool
low blow
way the wind blows

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

blow

noun

Idioms for blow

Origin of blow

SYNONYMS FOR blow

synonym study for blow

Words nearby blow

British Dictionary definitions for at one blow (1 of 3)

verb blows, blowing, blew or blown

noun

Word Origin for blow

British Dictionary definitions for at one blow (2 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for blow

British Dictionary definitions for at one blow (3 of 3)

verb blows, blowing, blew or blown

noun

Word Origin for blow

Idioms and Phrases with at one blow (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with at one blow (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

blow

noun

Idioms for blow

Origin of blow

SYNONYMS FOR blow

synonym study for blow

Words nearby blow

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for at one blow (1 of 3)

verb blows, blowing, blew or blown

noun

Word Origin for blow

British Dictionary definitions for at one blow (2 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for blow

British Dictionary definitions for at one blow (3 of 3)

verb blows, blowing, blew or blown

noun

Word Origin for blow

Idioms and Phrases with at one blow (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with at one blow (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for at one blow (1 of 3)