I. ˈblast, -aa(ə)st, -aist, -ȧst noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English blǣst; akin to Old High German blāst blast, blāsan to blow, Old Norse blāstr blast, blāsa to blow, Gothic uf blesan to inflate with self-importance, Old English blāwan to blow — more at blow
1.
a. : a violent gust of wind
heavy blasts whistling about our ears
b. : a blowing or battering of winds
this prosperous handsome town has withstood the blast of hurricanes — G.S.Perry
c. : something borne by a gust of wind
a blast of sleet
the drizzle became a blast and then a deluge — John Buchan
2.
a. : the sound produced from a horn or whistle at one breath
b. : the sound produced by a steam whistle or any comparable mechanical instrument
the blast of an auto horn
c. : a signal made by a ship's whistle
d. : an inadvertent loud sound so intense as to overload a sound-recording or sound-transmission system and produce a discordant effect
3. : something resembling a gust of wind: as
a. : breath ; especially : air exhaled in breathing or coughing
b. : a violent or vigorous outburst or onslaught
let out a great blast of mirth — Marcia Davenport
the senator's angry blast against special privilege
c. : the continuous blowing to which one charge of ore or metal is subjected in a furnace
melt so many tons of iron at a blast
d.
(1) : the exhaust steam from a steam engine that drives a column of air up the smokestack and thus creates an intense draft through the fire
(2) : the draft thus created
e. : the exhaust from an internal-combustion engine or a rocket or jet engine
f. chiefly Scotland : a smoke of tobacco : pipe
a quiet cup and a peaceful blast by the fire
4.
a. : a sudden pernicious influence or effect
virtue preserved from fell destruction's blast — Shakespeare
the blast of a great pestilence
b. : any of certain diseases (as erysipelas) that suggest the effect of a noxious wind or that spread as though distributed by wind ; especially : a disease of plants that causes the foliage or flowers to appear as though dried by a hot wind, that is sometimes marked by spotting and cracking and in some crops (as rice) by rotting of the neck or (as in oats) by failure of the buds or flowers to open, and that is caused by infection (as with bacteria or fungi) or by environmental conditions (as drought)
5.
a. : an explosion or violent detonation: as
(1) : the discharge of a shot or series of shots of an explosive (as dynamite) used to break rock and other solid material ; also : the charge used for this purpose
(2) : an explosion of gas or dust in a mine
(3) : muzzle blast
b. : the violent effect produced in the vicinity of an explosion that consists of a wave of increased atmospheric pressure followed by a wave of decreased atmospheric pressure
6. : a season's run from a particular furnace in glass manufacturing
7. : activity , operation , capacity , speed — usually used in phrases to indicate relative degree or level of activity
the new educational system going full blast
the plant had run at half blast for several months
Synonyms: see wind
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English blasten, from blast, n.
intransitive verb
1. : to give out blasts ; specifically : to produce sounds of undesired loudness
a good voice marred by a tendency to blast when before a microphone
2. dialect England , of an animal : bloat
3.
a. : to employ an explosive to shatter or open something
b. : to employ the most vigorous means to attain an end
you'll have to blast to make her change her mind
4.
a. : to fire a gun : shoot
as we walked in they started blasting
b. : to attack with vigor — often used with away
he blasted away at the false idealism of his opponents
5. : to hit a golf ball out of a sand trap with an explosion shot — usually used with out
it was a poor lie but he blasted out successfully
6. slang : to smoke marijuana
transitive verb
1. : to injure by or as if by the action of wind
seedlings blasted by the hot dry wind
: stop or check from growth or fruit bearing
we'll have no peaches; frost blasted the blossoms this year
: wither , stunt , blight , shrivel
2. : to affect with some violence, plague, calamity, or blighting influence that thwarts or destroys : wreck , ruin
time has blasted his ambition
3. obsolete : to confound by a blast of or as if of trumpets
4. : to denounce vigorously
his own lack of hesitation in … blasting any and all dignitaries — J.T.Farrell
: curse , damn
I am not making this up, blast you; it is all in the book — Samuel Grafton
5.
a. : to shatter (as rock) by an explosive agent
b. : to remove (as an obstruction) or open (as a ditch) by blasting — often used with away or out
set himself to blast away these barriers to progress — Elmer Davis
they blasted out a new course for the stream
c. : to kill by shooting or bombing — often used with down
when the senator rose to speak the conspirators blasted him down
6.
a. : to apply a forced draft to (as a fuel bed)
b. : to blow particles of abrasive against (a metal object) for the purpose of cleaning the surface
7.
a. : to defeat (as an opposing team) decisively
they blasted the home team by a score of 12 to 2
b. : to hit vigorously and effectively (as in baseball)
blasted a homer over the right-field wall
III. noun
1. : an enjoyably exciting experience, occasion, or event
have a blast
especially : party
a beer blast
2. : home run
IV. intransitive verb
: to proceed rapidly
blast around … at moderately high speeds on windy little roads — P.J. O'Rourke
transitive verb
: to play loudly
the stereo blasted old show tunes