by-blow

[ bahy-bloh ]

/ ˈbaɪˌbloʊ /

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See synonyms for: by-blow / by-blows on Thesaurus.com

noun

an incidental or accidental blow.

Also bye-blow . an illegitimate child; bastard.

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Origin of by-blow

First recorded in 1585–95; by- + blow¹

Words nearby by-blow

by any stretch, by a thread, Byatt, by-bidder, Byblos, by-blow, by-catch, by chance, by choice, by coincidence, by cracky

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use by-blow in a sentence

This is a blow against freedom of speech, we were told, by the likes of Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Liberal Democrats like to blow their bugles about how all the big money in politics comes from rich Republicans.
The 100 Rich People Who Run America|Mark McKinnon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
On Friday, the story had looked like it might blow over as Buckingham Palace sought to dismiss it as a “civil case.”
Buckingham Palace Disputes Sex Allegations Against Prince ‘Randy Andy’|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It took a blow to the head from Clark and the assistance of three deputies to subdue her.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

A step-by-step plan to break from your various technology addictions.
Can Self-Help Books Really Make a New You?|Lizzie Crocker|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All along the highways and by-paths of our literature we encounter much that pertains to this "queen of plants."
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
It was like his beautiful courtesy to call me in and introduce me to Blow instead of letting me go away.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
John was baptizing at a large pool called Ænon-by-Saleim,—probably allegorical, meaning “Fountain of Repose.”
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
He who has attained it grows giddy, and the fiercest winds are summoned to blow him from his eminence.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Upon his knees then, he lingered, while I rained blow after blow upon his upturned face.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for by-blow

by-blow

noun

a passing or incidental blow

an archaic word for a bastard

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

by-blow

Origin of by-blow

Words nearby by-blow

Words related to by-blow

How to use by-blow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for by-blow