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as the wind blows

as the wind blows

8.0
Says that something changes quickly and without warning
  • idiom
translation icon : como venga
  • Her mood shifts as the wind blows, making her difficult to predict.

Examples

  • Political alliances form and dissolve as the wind blows in this volatile government.

  • You have to adapt as the wind blows.

  • We made plans, but we might change them as the wind blows.

  • Life can change quickly, just as the wind blows.

  • Her mood shifts as the wind blows, making her difficult to predict.

  • Political alliances form and dissolve as the wind blows in this volatile government.

  • We might change our plans as the wind blows depending on circumstances.

Synonyms

like a weather vane in a storm
vsas the wind blows
  • Informal
9.0

Changing often in ways you cannot predict

is about general unpredictability or rapid shifts due to chance

Antonyms

129 2.1

In a regular way without stopping

31 3.4

In a way people expect

How Predictable

predictable
189 2.5
consistent
92 3.5
variable
  • Specialized
140 4.2
changeable
8 3.5
as the wind blows
8.0
random
527 3.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

as + the + wind + blow

The phrase evokes the literal image of wind blowing, and a learner who knows 'wind' and 'blow' can infer a sense of movement or change, but the specific sense of unpredictability or shifting circumstances is a metaphorical extension rather than a direct compositional meaning. This mapping is plausible for many learners (and exists in other languages), but it requires metaphorical inference and pragmatic knowledge, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

As the wind blows comes from the image of the wind turning and moving things like flags or leaves one way one moment and another the next. So it means 'unpredictable' or 'likely to change quickly'.