Meaning & use
blow through
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Meanings
verbphrasal verbinformal
To spend a large amount of money quickly and carelessly.
Grammar: Takes an object: blow through the savings.
Patterns
- blow through something
She blew through her bonus in a single weekend.
They blew through their savings after the wedding.
The company blew through its entire budget by March.
verbphrasal verbinformal
To finish or pass something very quickly and easily, without being slowed.
Grammar: Takes an object: blow through the exam; can also be used without one.
Patterns
- blow through something
He blew through the first three chapters in an hour.
The runner blew through the finish line with ease.
The team blew through the qualifying round.
verbphrasal verb
To move through a place with force or speed, as wind or a storm does, or to arrive or leave in a hurry.
Grammar: No object needed; often followed by a place: the storm blew through town.
Patterns
- blow through somewhere
A cold front blew through the valley overnight.
The boss blew through the office, handing out folders.
A summer storm blew through just before the match.
Word forms
| third person singular | blows through |
|---|---|
| past tense | blew through |
| past participle | blown through |
| -ing form | blowing through |
Common combinations
- blow through money
- He blew through money the way some people use tissues.
- blow through a budget
- We blew through our budget on the first project.
- blow through the finish line
- She blew through the finish line a full minute ahead.
- blow through a stop sign
- Some drivers just blow through the stop sign.
- storm blows through
- The storm blew through town and was gone by noon.
Synonyms and how they differ
- squander
- It is more formal and carries clear disapproval for wasting something, whereas blow through is chatty and focuses on speed.
- burn through
- It is almost identical in the money sense but also suggests running out of a supply such as fuel or time.
- breeze through
- This applies only to the sense of finishing easily and is more positive, since it never implies waste.
- sweep through
- It fits weather or crowds spreading across a place and does not apply to money.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: blow through or blow over?
blow through vs blow over
This means a problem or storm passes without lasting harm, while blow through means to pass through or use up something.
Practice
After getting the inheritance, he ___ it all within two years.
Choose one answer.
Blew through means spent quickly. Blew over describes trouble passing and does not take money as an object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blow through”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.