What does "blow out" mean (sense 1)?

To extinguish a candle or flame by blowing air at it. Example: "She took a deep breath and blew out all the candles on her birthday cake."

What does "blow out" mean (sense 2)?

Of a tyre: to burst suddenly and lose air. Example: "We had to stop at the side of the motorway because a tyre blew out."

What does "blow out" mean (sense 3)?

To defeat a person or team by a very large margin (American informal). Example: "The home team blew out their rivals 7–0."

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blow out

A2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive

To extinguish a flame with breath or wind; to fail suddenly; or to defeat someone easily.

In plain English

To use your breath to put out a flame, like on birthday candles; or for something to suddenly stop working.

What does "blow out" mean?

4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.

1 A2 neutral

very common

To extinguish a candle or flame by blowing air at it.

"She took a deep breath and blew out all the candles on her birthday cake."

separable

2 B1 neutral

common

Of a tyre: to burst suddenly and lose air.

"We had to stop at the side of the motorway because a tyre blew out."

3 B2 idiomatic informal

common

To defeat a person or team by a very large margin (American informal).

"The home team blew out their rivals 7–0."

separable

4 B1 neutral

common

Of an electrical component or fuse: to stop working because of a power surge.

"The power cut blew out the fuse box."

separable

Literal vs figurative

Words literally mean

To blow air outward to extinguish a flame.

Actually means

To use your breath to put out a flame, like on birthday candles; or for something to suddenly stop working.

Usage tip

The candle/flame sense is A2 and universal. Tyre blowouts and electrical failures are common literal senses. The sports 'easy victory' sense is American informal. Also used for cancelling on someone informally (American English).

Words that pair with "blow out"

Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.

candle flame tyre match fuse competition

How to conjugate "blow out"

The five tense forms you'll use most often.

Base

blow out

I/you/we/they

3rd person

blows out

he/she/it

Past simple

blew out

yesterday

Past participle

blown out

have + pp

-ing form

blowing out

continuous

Hear "blow out" in the wild

Listen to native speakers using "blow out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.

Other ways to say "blow out"

Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.

cancel defeat extinguish put out quench snuff out

Keep exploring

Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.

All phrasal verbs with "blow" All phrasal verbs with "out" More A2-level phrasal verbs