blow

B1 · Intermediate Informal

v. to fail at something or lose a great opportunity by making a mistake.

v. to fail at a task or squander an opportunity through incompetence or error.

“I had a chance to win the game, but I blew it by missing the final shot.”

“The candidate blew his chances of winning the election when he made those controversial remarks during the live debate.”

B1 · Intermediate

v. to break or be destroyed by an explosion.

v. to cause to explode or to be destroyed by internal pressure or explosives. Often used with 'up'.

“The soldiers had to blow the bridge to stop the enemy from crossing.”

“The demolition crew prepared to blow the old factory building at dawn to make way for the new housing development.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal · Slang

v. to spend a lot of money very quickly on things you do not need.

v. to squander or spend money recklessly and wastefully.

Español:cagar

“He blew his entire paycheck on a new designer watch.”

“After winning a small fortune in the lottery, he managed to blow the entire sum on luxury cars and expensive parties within a year.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Slang · Informal

v. you say this when something is very annoying or of bad quality.

v. to be extremely unpleasant, disappointing, or of poor quality.

“It really blows that we have to work on a Saturday.”

“The new sequel to the movie really blows; the plot is nonsensical and the acting is subpar.”

C1 · Advanced Vulgar · Slang

v. to perform oral sex on someone.

v. to perform fellatio upon a partner.

“The movie was rated R because it contained scenes of people blowing each other.”

“The script was censored by the studio because it contained explicit references to characters blowing one another in the club.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a hard hit with a hand, a tool, or a weapon.

n. a powerful stroke with a hand, weapon, or hard object.

“The boxer landed a heavy blow to his opponent's jaw.”

“The victim was struck a fatal blow to the head with a blunt instrument during the robbery.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a sudden event that causes sadness or disappointment.

n. a sudden shock or misfortune that causes emotional distress or failure.

“Losing his job was a major blow to his confidence.”

“The sudden cancellation of the funding was a crushing blow to the research team's long-term goals.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Slang

n. a slang word for cocaine.

n. a slang term for powder cocaine.

“The police arrested the man for carrying a small bag of blow.”

“Undercover agents spent months infiltrating the ring to identify the primary suppliers of blow in the city.”

C2 · Proficiency Literary · Archaic

v. to open up and produce flowers.

v. to blossom or produce flowers; to be in a state of bloom.

“The roses began to blow in the early summer heat.”

“The poet described a garden where the lilies blow in the soft moonlight of May.”