blowoff

[ bloh-awf, -of ]
See synonyms for blowoff on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a current of escaping surplus steam, water, etc.: The safety valve released a violent blowoff from the furnace.

  2. a device that permits and channels such a current.

  1. Slang. a person who brags or boasts; a blow-hard.

  2. a temporary, sudden surge, as in prices: The Federal Reserve Board's credit tightening could cause a blowoff in interest rates.

Origin of blowoff

1
First recorded in 1830–40; noun use of verb phrase blow off

Words Nearby blowoff

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use blowoff in a sentence

  • So far as I can tell, they're the weakest point, so if the mountain lets go, that is where the blowoff will come.

    The Flaming Mountain | Harold Leland Goodwin

British Dictionary definitions for blow off

blow off

verb(adverb)
  1. to permit (a gas under pressure, esp steam) to be released

  2. (intr) British slang to emit wind noisily from the anus

  1. (tr) informal to reject or jilt (someone)

  2. blow off steam See steam (def. 6)

nounblow-off
  1. a discharge of a surplus fluid, such as steam, under pressure

  2. a device through which such a discharge is made

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with blowoff

blowoff

Vent one's strong feelings; see blow off steam.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.