blast

[blast, blahst] /blæst, blɑst/
noun
1.
a sudden and violent gust of wind:
Wintry blasts chilled us to the marrow.
2.
the blowing of a trumpet, whistle, etc.:
One blast of the siren was enough to clear the street.
3.
a loud, sudden sound or noise:
The radio let out an awful blast before I could turn it off.
4.
a forcible stream of air from the mouth, bellows, or the like.
5.
Machinery.
  1. air forced into a furnace by a blower to increase the rate of combustion.
  2. a jet of steam directed up a smokestack, as of a steam locomotive, to increase draft.
  3. a draft thus increased.
6.
a forceful or explosive throw, hit, etc.:
a blast down the third-base line.
7.
Slang.
  1. a party or riotously good time:
    Did we have a blast last night!
  2. something that gives great pleasure or enjoyment; thrill; treat:
    My new electronic game is a blast.
8.
a vigorous outburst of criticism; attack.
9.
blast wave.
10.
Mining, Civil Engineering. the charge of dynamite or other explosive used at one firing in blasting operations.
11.
the act of exploding; explosion:
Some say the blast was in the next county.
12.
any pernicious or destructive influence, especially on animals or plants; a blight.
13.
the sudden death of buds, flowers, or young fruit.
verb (used with object)
14.
to make a loud noise on; blow (a trumpet, automobile horn, etc.):
He blasted his horn irritably at every car in his way.
15.
to cause to shrivel or wither; blight.
16.
to affect with any pernicious influence; ruin; destroy:
Failure in the exam blasted her hopes for college. It was an indiscretion that blasted his good reputation.
17.
to break up or dislodge (a tree stump, rock, etc.):
Their explosives were inadequate to blast the granite.
18.
to make, form, open up, etc., by blasting:
to blast a tunnel through a mountain.
19.
to show to be false, unreliable, etc.; discredit:
His facts soundly blasted the new evidence.
20.
Informal. to curse; damn (usually followed by it or an object):
Blast it, there's the phone again! Blast the time, we've got to finish this work.
21.
to censure or criticize vigorously; denounce:
In his campaign speech he really blasts the other party.
22.
to hit or propel with great force:
He blasted a homer that tied the game. They were blasted into outer space.
23.
to shoot:
The terrorists blasted him down.
verb (used without object)
24.
to produce a loud, blaring sound:
The trumpets blasted as the overture began. His voice blasted until the microphone was turned down.
25.
to shoot:
He whipped out his revolver and started blasting.
26.
Slang. to take narcotics.
Verb phrases
27.
blast off,
  1. (of a rocket) to leave a launch pad under its own power.
  2. (of an astronaut) to travel aloft in a rocket.
Idioms
28.
at full blast, at maximum capacity; at or with full volume or speed:
The factory is going at full blast.
Also, full blast.
Origin
before 1000; 1955-60 for def 7a; Middle English (noun and v.); Old English blǣst (noun) a blowing; akin to Old Norse blāstr, Old High German blāst (derivative of blāsan, cognate with Gothic ufblēsan, Old Norse blāsa). See blow2
Related forms
blaster, noun
blasty, adjective
Synonyms
1. squall, gale, blow, storm. See wind1 . 2. blare, screech. 11. discharge, outburst. 16. annihilate.

-blast

1.
variant of blasto- as final element of a compound word:
ectoblast.
Examples from the web for blast
  • But an external source for the magnetism-such as a blast from the solar wind-could not be ruled out.
  • The first set of blast waves, a moving wall of highly compressed air that emanates from an explosion, knocked him out briefly.
  • Hold luggage could be packed into one of the bags, which would help contain the blast if an item were to explode.
  • It can also blast that sound in all directions, since the speaker towers are open in the back.
  • Some researchers speculate that some dolphins and whales use intense blasts of sound to blast fish or squid into insensibility.
  • Twitter, a service that lets users blast messages to cellphones, is the latest way for college students to learn about parties.
  • Screaming in the halls and/or a soccer game going full blast in the late hours.
  • blast off with an astronaut on his journey into space.
  • But an advance blast of energetic particles hits almost immediately.
  • Small enough to fit almost anywhere, adding a blast of color quickly.
British Dictionary definitions for blast

blast

/blɑːst/
noun
1.
an explosion, as of dynamite
2.
  1. the rapid movement of air away from the centre of an explosion, combustion of rocket fuel, etc
  2. a wave of overpressure caused by an explosion; shock wave
3.
the charge of explosive used in a single explosion
4.
a sudden strong gust of wind or air
5.
a sudden loud sound, as of a trumpet
6.
a violent verbal outburst, as of criticism
7.
a forcible jet or stream of air, esp one used to intensify the heating effect of a furnace, increase the draught in a steam engine, or break up coal at a coalface
8.
any of several diseases of plants and animals, esp one producing withering in plants
9.
(US, slang) a very enjoyable or thrilling experience: the party was a blast
10.
full blast, at full blast, at maximum speed, volume, etc
interjection
11.
(slang) an exclamation of annoyance (esp in phrases such as blast it! and blast him!)
verb
12.
to destroy or blow up with explosives, shells, etc
13.
to make or cause to make a loud harsh noise
14.
(transitive) to remove, open, etc, by an explosion: to blast a hole in a wall
15.
(transitive) to ruin; shatter: the rain blasted our plans for a picnic
16.
to wither or cause to wither; blight or be blighted
17.
to criticize severely
18.
to shoot or shoot at: he blasted the hat off her head, he blasted away at the trees
See also blastoff
Derived Forms
blaster, noun
Word Origin
Old English blǣst, related to Old Norse blāstr

-blast

combining form
1.
(in biology) indicating an embryonic cell or formative layer: mesoblast
Word Origin
from Greek blastos bud
Word Origin and History for blast
n.

Old English blæst "blowing, breeze, puff of wind," from Proto-Germanic *bles- (cf. Old Norse blastr, Old High German blast "a blowing, blast," German blasen, Gothic blesan "to blow"), from PIE *bhle- "to blow," probably a variant of root *bhel- (2) "to blow, inflate, swell" (see bole).

Meaning "explosion" is from 1630s; that of "noisy party, good time" is from 1953, American English slang. Sense of "strong current of air for iron-smelting" (1690s) led to blast furnace and transferred sense in full blast "the extreme" (1839). Blast was the usual word for "a smoke of tobacco" c.1600.

v.

Old English blæstan "to blow, belch forth," from the root of blast (n.). Since 16c., often "to breathe on balefully." Meaning "to blow up by explosion" is from 1758. Related: Blasted; blasting. Blast off (n.) is attested from 1950.

blast in Medicine

-blast suff.
An immature, embryonic stage in the development of cells or tissues: erythroblast.

Slang definitions & phrases for blast

blast

interjection

An exclamation of dismay, irritation, frustration, etc; an imprecation • (1630s+)

noun
  1. A blow; sock: a blast in the kisser (1950s+)
  2. In baseball, a long or strong hit, esp a home run (1950s+)
  3. : He figures the opposition's blast won't hurt him (1940s+)
  4. A single dose or portion of a narcotic or other stimulant; belt, fix: Maybe it's a little early in the day for that first blast (1950s+ Narcotics)
  5. thrill; a transport of pleasure; charge, kick: Meeting her was a blast (1960s+)
  6. A noisy and jolly party or other especially exciting occasion; ball (1950s+)
  7. Anything good or admirable; gasser (1970s+)
verb
  1. To hit: She blasted him in the gut (1950s+)
  2. To shoot: They blasted him with a sawed-off shotgun (1920s+)
  3. : So the Babe blasts it right out of there (1950s+)
  4. To attack, esp with strong verbal condemnation: He blasted the Secretary for saying that (1940s+)
  5. To defeat utterly; trounce; clobber (1960s+)
  6. (also blast off) To leave; book, peel out, split: He got in the Porsche and blasted out of there (1930s+)
  7. To take narcotics, esp to smoke marijuana; use: start blasting opium from a water pipe (1930s+ Narcotics)
Related Terms

beer blast, full blast


blast in Technology


1. BLT, used especially for large data sends over a network or comm line. Opposite of snarf. Usage: uncommon. The variant "blat" has been reported.
2. [HP/Apollo] Synonymous with nuke. Sometimes the message "Unable to kill all processes. Blast them (y/n)?" would appear in the command window upon logout.

Idioms and Phrases with blast

blast

In addition to the idiom beginning with blast also see: full blast