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blow out

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blow someone out

Sl. to kill someone, especially with gunshots. (Fixed order.) Lefty set out to blow Max out once and for all. Lefty wanted to blow Max out too.

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blow something out

to extinguish a flame with a puff of breath. I blew the candle out. I blew out the candles one by one.

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blow out somebody

also blow somebody out

to defeat someone completely Sometimes you play really badly and get blown out.

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blow out something

also blow something out

to make something stop working I turned on my new television and blew out the picture tube.

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blow out

1. Extinguish, especially a flame. For example, The wind blew out the candles very quickly. [1300s]

2. Lose force or cease entirely, as in The storm will soon blow itself out and move out to sea. Also see blow over.

3. Burst or rupture suddenly, as in This tire is about to blow out. This usage alludes to the escape of air under pressure. [Early 1900s]

4. Also, blow out of the water. Defeat decisively, as in With a great new product and excellent publicity, we could blow the competition out of the water . This term originally was used in mid-19th-century naval warfare, where it meant to blast or shoot another vessel to pieces. It later was transferred to athletic and other kinds of defeat. [Slang; mid-1900s]

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blow out

v.

1. To extinguish something with the breath or a gust of air: The child blew out the candles on the birthday cake. The lamp was flickering, so I blew it out.

2. To be extinguished by the breath or a gust of air: If the wind picks up, our fire will blow out.

3. To remove or burst something with powerful or violent force: The blast blew out all the windows on the block. The sudden pressure blew the pipes out.

4. To cause something to burst: The glass on the road blew out our tires. A nail got caught under the inner tube and blew it out.

5. To burst: The front tire blew out when we were driving down the road.

6. To cause something to stop functioning suddenly. Used of an electrical apparatus: Playing your stereo too loudly will blow your speakers out. The surge in current blew out the microchips in my computer.

7. To stop functioning suddenly. Used of an electrical apparatus: Because the light bulb was old, it blew out.

8. To erupt in an uncontrolled manner. Used of a gas or oil well: If the safety valve breaks, the well might blow out and spill oil everywhere.

9. To diminish; subside. Used reflexively of windy weather conditions: Until the storm blows itself out, we'll have to stay inside.

See also: blow, out