to blow
- verb
- /bloʊ/
- The murals show one man banging a drum, while others blow flutes and shake maracas.
- blow a whistle
- blow a horn
- blow a flute
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Watch on YouTubeWell, when the whistle blew, they they backed off.
- Well, when the whistle blew, they they backed off.
- And as soon as that whistle was blown, silence.
- You can hear me and I blow a boat horn and you react to it.
Examples
-
When the teacher calls "stop" or blows a whistle, everyone must come to a full "stop."
Academic text (1996) -
Did you really blow the horn at me, Mark?
-
And if there were any other horns blown that night, Ben never heard them.
Fiction book (1990) -
Not necessary when you have a bagpiper blowing out your window.
-
Another idea is to have students "hiss" or "blow through" music that they are studying and performing.
Academic text (1995) -
Wind players can practice breathing without blowing their instruments to establish the meter and rhythm.
Academic text (1996) -
Have students breathe in steadily for four slow beats and blow out steadily for four slow beats.
Academic text (1995) -
The shawm player walks slowly in front, cheeks puffed out, blowing incessantly without pausing for breath.
Academic text (1997) -
Did you hear him blow the trumpet during the concert last night?
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As the parade went on, she watched the band blow their brass instruments proudly.
Synonyms
To make a high sound by blowing air through your lips or a small device
Play a brass instrument by blowing into it
Make a short high sound with lips or a small device to get attention
To play a tune on a small wind instrument like a flute
Idioms
- Informal
To leave a place quickly because you do not want to be there
- Offensive
Informal and rude way to use up all your energy or resources at once
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
To not attend or take part in something you should, often to do something else instead
- Informal
Do something active, like go for a run, to feel less angry or stressed
- Informal
A plan or action that fails suddenly and causes big problems for the person who planned it
To touch your lips with one hand then move that hand toward someone to show love
To make a small round pocket of air in soapy water by puffing with your mouth
- Informal
Make someone have bad back pain from lifting something heavy
Compounds
A large fly with a shiny blue-green body that lays eggs on dead animals and in wounds
- Specialized
A machine that makes hollow plastic items like bottles by heating plastic and using air to shape it
- Specialized
A machine that makes hollow plastic items like bottles by using air to push heated plastic into a mold
How Loud
Surface Forms
Etymology
Blow comes from the old English blāwan, meaning 'to move air', which helps you imagine making sound by breath. That's why you 'blow' a whistle or trumpet to make music.