blow off
Britishverb
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to permit (a gas under pressure, esp steam) to be released
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slang (intr) to emit wind noisily from the anus
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informal (tr) to reject or jilt (someone)
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See steam
noun
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a discharge of a surplus fluid, such as steam, under pressure
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a device through which such a discharge is made
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Vent one's strong feelings; see blow off steam .
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Disregard, ignore; evade something important. For example, If you blow off your homework, you're bound to run into trouble on the exam . [ Slang ; second half of 1900s]
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Overcome, defeat easily, as in With Rob pitching, we'll have no trouble blowing off the opposing team . [ Slang ; 1950s] Also see blow away , def. 2.
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Ignore, abandon, refuse to take part. For example, The college is blowing off our request for a new student center . [ Slang ; 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.
For days when Usher needs to blow off some steam, he need only head to the basketball court or the custom yoga deck.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
These suggestions will be easy to blow off if they are left to local managers to execute and enforce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 16, 2025
Though Santi likes to hit, perhaps just to blow off steam, he has become alienated from the game and resistant to advice — for reasons we will learn, besides the usual teenage anomie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2025
It’s a dream living situation for any group of queer friends, one that ensures there’s always a friendly ear close by, ready to listen when someone needs to blow off steam.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
Smith began devising new ways of teaching horses to blow off the line as quickly as possible.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
