blow-by-blow
adjective
precisely detailed; describing every minute detail and step.
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blow-by-blow
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blow by blow
blow by blowDescribed in minute detail, as in Tell me about last night's party, blow by blow. This term originated in radio broadcasts during the 1930s, in which the sportscaster gave a detailed account of each punch struck in a boxing match. It soon was transferred to a detailed account of anything at all.
blow-by-blow
American
[bloh-bahy-bloh]
/ ˈbloʊˌbaɪˈbloʊ /
adjective
noun
blow-by-blow
British
adjective
blow by blow
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of blow-by-blow
An Americanism dating back to 1930–35
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.
See Examples For:
Other chapters, however, seem more peripheral, such as those that give blow-by-blow accounts of Russian-Qing diplomacy over the disputed Amur region far to the east of Mongolia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
He provides a blow-by-blow account of the days leading up to the ruling’s publication, including internal communications between the judges that, as a rule, are never shared with the public.
From Slate ● Nov. 20, 2025
The New York Times, which first reported on the upside-down flag, published a blow-by-blow account of the neighbourhood dispute on Tuesday.
From BBC ● May 29, 2024
But if “Fair Play” spends the better part of two hours tracing this newly lopsided romance to its logical, unhappy conclusion, the blow-by-blow machinations are still a chilly wonder to behold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2023
I’m not prudish, Kitty, and yet every time they give a blow-by-blow account of their trips to the bathroom, which they often do, my whole body rises in revolt.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Having digested this blow by blow account, why not take in a more considered view of the match, with Andrew Aloia's match report.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2024
Witnessing the grudge play out blow by blow helps the audience understand the difference between two men trying to win a match and enemies desperate to annihilate each other.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2021
Do not follow up with the blow by blow you’ve presented here.
From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2020
After Kephart gave Harvill a blow by blow account, Harvill simply replied: “Well you all had a hell of a year anyway. You all will get them next year.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 29, 2013
But using her hands as planes, Lilya was able to describe the maneuvering of their aerial dogfight blow by blow, and the German pilot had to admit that this novice fighter had defeated him.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
