blow it
Idioms-
Spoil, botch, or bungle something, as in That was a great opportunity, but now I've blown it . [ Slang ; c. 1940]
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blow one's lines . Make a mistake in speaking one's part in a theatrical production, as in Ben blew his lines, but Dean came to the rescue . [Mid-1900s]
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.
I’m not saying we’re actively rooting for McIlroy to blow it, but it’s always spicy when the roller coaster creaks and the leaderboard gets shifty.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
An account holder who decides to, say, blow it on a trip to Cancún could owe $406 in federal income taxes and a $338 penalty on the withdrawal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
“You can come to a Marriott in Marina del Rey and change your life and blow it wide open.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026
Aarti took time away after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and the coronavirus pandemic dealt the nightlife scene a blow it is struggling to recover from.
From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025
I just had to figure out how not to blow it.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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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.