blows
n. countablen. hard hits with a hand or a tool, or sudden bad events that cause sadness or trouble. You often hear this when someone is fighting or when a person has a lot of bad luck.
n. plural form of a sudden, forceful impact delivered with a fist or weapon; figuratively, sudden strokes of misfortune or calamity. Often used in the phrase 'to trade blows' or 'a series of blows'.
The boxer landed several heavy blows to his opponent's ribs.
The company suffered two major blows this year when the CEO resigned and the main factory flooded.
While the physical blows from the accident healed quickly, the psychological blows to her confidence required years of patient therapy and support from her family.
Commonly used in the plural when describing a physical fight or a sequence of unfortunate events.