blow away
Britishverb
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to kill (someone) by shooting
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to defeat decisively
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Kill, especially by gunshot or explosion. For example, The unit reported that the whole village was blown away . This usage became particularly widespread in the 1960s, during the Vietnam War. [ Slang ; early 1990s]
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Overcome easily; defeat decisively. For example, Ann said the test would be easy; she would just blow it away , or Jim was sure his crew could blow away their opponents . [ Slang ; 1960s] Also see blow off , def. 5.
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Impress greatly, overwhelm with surprise, delight, or shock, as in That music really blew me away . [ Slang ; c. 1970] Also see blow one's mind .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many are ephemeral; fleeting leaf sculptures that blow away into the forest or giant snowballs placed in the city of London which melted to disclose sticks and stones.
From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026
But in the hand, it immediately began to disintegrate and blow away in the light breeze.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2025
The machine will have to be designed so that the powder won’t blow away when air is pulled through the machine.
From NewsForKids.net • Dec. 4, 2024
However, previous simulations of already-formed clusters suggested that stellar winds blow away most of their mass, leaving them too small.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2024
Grace let out a small sigh, not even strong enough to blow away the strands of brown hair stuck to her lips.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
