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
Well, 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?
-
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
To play a tune on a small wind instrument like a flute
Play a brass instrument by blowing into it
Make a short high sound with lips or a small device to get attention
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
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
A plan or action that fails suddenly and causes big problems for the person who planned it
- 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.