What does blown mean?
Blown is the past participle of the irregular verb "blow," and one of English's most versatile descriptive words. Its core sense is physical: something moved or scattered by moving air, as when leaves are blown across a lawn. From there it extends to destruction by force — a blown tire, a blown fuse, a building blown to bits — and to loss or waste, as in money blown on a reckless spree. As an adjective, it appears in craft terminology like blown glass, shaped by a craftsman's breath into molten material, and in figurative idioms: someone blown away is astonished, while a full-blown crisis has reached its complete intensity. The word also describes physical exhaustion, as in an exhausted runner who is completely blown. This range makes blown equally at home in weather reports, engineering, sport, and everyday speech, giving it both precision and expressive power across registers.
Moved or carried by a current of air; burst apart by explosion or pressure; depleted, wasted, or ruined.
"The roof tiles had been blown off in the night."
Shaped by blowing, especially of glass formed by forcing air into molten material; also describing something exhausted or destroyed.
"The gallery displayed delicate blown glass vases from Venice."
Glassmakers have been 'blowing' glass for over two thousand years — the same word now describes being utterly amazed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blown
Blown derives from the Old English verb blāwan, meaning to blow or breathe, which traces back through Proto-Germanic roots to the Proto-Indo-European base *bhle-, associated with swelling and blowing air. The past participle form developed with the Middle English weakening of Old English inflections, settling into its modern -own shape alongside verbs like grow and throw. Cognates appear across the Germanic family, including German blasen and Dutch blazen, all preserving the ancient association of breath and air.
Related word forms
How blown is actually used
Most often encountered as the past participle of the irregular verb "blow." In figurative uses like "blown away" (amazed) or "full-blown" (fully developed), it carries informal, vivid connotations; in technical contexts such as "blown glass" or "blown fuse" it is neutral and precise.
Easily confused with blown
Bloom refers to the flower of a plant or a healthy glow, while blown refers to movement by air, bursting, or depletion.