Dictionary

blow out en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From Middle English blow out, blowe out, dissimilated forms of earlier Middle English outblowen, ut-blawen (> English outblow), equivalent to blow + out. Compare West Frisian útblaze (“to blow out”), Dutch uitblazen (“to blow out”), German ausblähen and ausblasen (“to blow out”), Danish blæse ud (“to blow out”), Swedish blåsa ut (“to blow out”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To extinguish something, especially a flame, especially by means of a strong current of air or another gas.
   • He blows out the match.
   • The wind blew the candle out.
2. (transitive) To destroy or degrade (something) quickly, especially inadvertently and prematurely; for example, to deflate (a tire) by puncturing it, to burn out a light bulb by overcurrent, or to injure a bodily joint.
   • I blew out an LED when I cranked up the power.
   • I blew out my shoulder when I grabbed a heavy box in a careless way.
   • I blew out a tire on some hard cornering.
3. (intransitive) To be destroyed or degraded quickly, especially inadvertently and prematurely.
   • An LED blew out when I cranked up the power.
   • My shoulder blew out when I grabbed a heavy box in a careless way.
   • The tire blew out on some hard cornering.
4. (transitive) In a sporting contest, to dominate and defeat an opposing team, especially by a large scoring margin.
   • The No. 1-rated football team proceeded to blow out its undermanned opponent.
5. (transitive) To exhaust; to physically tire.
   • And although they were pushed harder than even Lennon might have expected on a night of galeforce winds, they clung on to the lead Ledley gave them for all they were worth until their rivals had blown themselves out and surrendered top spot. 2011 December 29, Keith Jackson, “SPL: Celtic 1 Rangers 0”, in Daily Record, archived from the original on 04 Apr 2017:
6. (transitive) To force open or out by the expansive force of a gas or vapour.
   • Muska, who is also a volunteer firefighter, said the town's department went to the plant to fight a fire about 6:30 p.m., and the blast that followed knocked off his fire helmet and blew out the doors and windows of his home nearby. 2013 April 18, “Dozens injured in Texas fertilizer plant explosion”, in NDTV, archived from the original on 01 Oct 2019:
   • The startled man blowing out his drink is one of the surest laugh-getters of the modern drama. 1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London:
7. (intransitive) To be driven out by the expansive force of a gas or vapour.
   • A steam cock or valve sometimes blows out.
8. (archaic, slang, vulgar) To talk violently or abusively.
9. (slang) To sing out, sing out loud.
10. (slang) To spend a lot of money; to splurge.
    • There's also an abundance of sky bars for an expensive drink with an awesome view. If you're looking to blow out in style then try one of them. 2014, Martha Stone, Oli Lynch, London: An Insiders Budget Guide:

Forms

Coordinates

blow down · blow away · blow down · blow away · blow up · blow up

Deriveds

blow out of the water · blow-out · blowout · BTFO

Relateds

[Term?]

Translations (13)

es reventar (burst car tyre) · el σκάω (burst car tyre) · es apagar (extinguish) · fi sammuttaa (extinguish) · ru задуть (extinguish) · ca apagar (extinguish) · pl zdmuchnąć (extinguish) · el σβήνω (extinguish) · fi puhjeta (burst car tyre) · fr éteindre (extinguish) · sv blåsa ut (extinguish) · de ausblasen (extinguish) · fr crever (burst car tyre)