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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Blow: Meanings, Examples, and Common Usage (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：exhale air (blow)

blow 🔊

/bloʊ/

To move air out of your mouth, or to make air move.

Blow out candles on a birthday cake with puffed cheeks

exhale air 🔊

➕

/ɛksˈheɪl ɛr/

To forcibly expel air from the mouth, often to cool something or create a current.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English blāwan; cognate with Latin flare 'to blow'.

💡 Mnemonic

Blow out candles, blow up a balloon, blow your money – all involve releasing something outward.

📖 Example

She had to blow on her hot soup before taking a sip. 🔊 She had to blow on her hot soup before taking a sip.

🔗 Collocations

blow out candles – to extinguish candles by blowing air

blow on soup – to cool soup by directing breath onto it

blow away dust – to remove dust with a stream of air

🔄 Synonyms

puff (v.) – to blow out air in short bursts

exhale (v.) – to breathe out air from the lungs

gust (v.) – to blow in strong, brief bursts (usually wind)

🚫 Antonyms

inhale (v.) – to breathe in air

suck (v.) – to draw air into the mouth

🌱 Derivatives

blower (n.) – a device that blows air or a person who blows

blowout (n.) – an act of blowing out; a burst tire or a festive party

📖 Cultural Story

The verb has remained essentially unchanged since Old English, appearing in diverse idioms. Its use for 'spend freely' originated in 19th-century American slang.

Meaning 2：burst (blow)

blow 🔊

/bloʊ/

To burst or explode suddenly, like a balloon or a tire.

burst 🔊

➕

/bɜːrst/

To break or rupture suddenly due to internal pressure.

📁 Category：Objects & Materials 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Be careful with that balloon! If you add too much air, it might blow. 🔊 Be careful with that balloon! If you add too much air, it might blow.

🔗 Collocations

blow up a balloon – to inflate a balloon until it bursts or expands

blow a tire – to cause a tire to burst while driving

blow a fuse – to cause an electrical circuit to fail by overloading

🔄 Synonyms

burst (v.) – to break open suddenly from pressure

explode (v.) – to burst violently with a loud noise

pop (v.) – to make a short explosive sound when bursting

🚫 Antonyms

inflate (v.) – to fill with air until tight

deflate (v.) – to release air and become smaller

🌱 Derivatives

blowout (n.) – a sudden bursting of a tire or a pipe

blowup (n.) – an explosion; also a heated argument

Meaning 3：squander (blow)

blow 🔊

/bloʊ/

To spend a lot of money quickly and unwisely.

Blow money on shopping with credit card and bags

squander 🔊

➕

/ˈskwɒndər/

To spend large amounts of money quickly and carelessly, often on unnecessary things.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

He got his first bonus and decided to blow it all on a fancy new laptop and a weekend trip. 🔊 He got his first bonus and decided to blow it all on a fancy new laptop and a weekend trip.

🔗 Collocations

blow money on – to spend money wastefully on something

blow a fortune – to waste a large amount of money

blow one's savings – to spend all the money one has saved

🔄 Synonyms

squander (v.) – to waste time or money in a reckless manner

waste (v.) – to use something carelessly and without good effect

fritter away (v.) – to waste gradually on trivial things

🚫 Antonyms

save (v.) – to keep money for future use

invest (v.) – to put money into something to gain profit

🌱 Derivatives

blowout (n.) – a lavish party or a sudden large spending spree

blowhard (n.) – a boastful person (not directly related but shares root)