blow-by
Americannoun
plural
blow-bies-
leakage of the air-fuel mixture or of combustion gases between a piston and the cylinder wall into the crankcase of an automobile.
-
a device, fitted to a crankcase, for conducting such gases back to the cylinders for combustion.
noun
Etymology
Origin of blow-by
First recorded in 1930–35; noun use of verb phrase blow by
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.
There were blow-by layups, floaters, a rare three-pointer and an old-fashioned three-point play on a jumper he threw up while getting fouled and falling down along the baseline.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025
"It was really my blow-by speed," Young said.
From Fox News • Jun. 28, 2021
“It was really my blow-by speed,” Young said.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 2021
He knows he has to keep learning and growing; he points, for instance, to his attempt at a game-winner in Philadelphia, when he followed a strong blow-by move with a weak up-and-under layup that was blocked.
From Washington Post • Oct. 8, 2016
The fine outing included power dunks, blow-by drives, pinpoint passes and a 3-pointer for good measure.
From Washington Times • Feb. 16, 2015
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.