Blow out means to put out a flame by blowing: candles, a match, a flame. The second meaning is about a tyre: to burst while you're driving. Our tyre blew out.
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blow out + candle/match/flame; blow + it/them + out; a tyre + blows out
- She made a wish and blew out all twenty-five candles at once.
- The wind blew the match out before I could light the fire.
- Our back tyre blew out on the motorway, so we had to call for help.
What changed
First versionMake a wish and blow the candles!
RevisionMake a wish and blow out the candles!
Without out, blow only describes the air you push, so blow the candles doesn't say whether the candles went out. Out adds the result: the flame is gone. With a pronoun, the order is blow them out.
Blow out only puts out a flame with a breath of air: candles, a match. A fire or a cigarette is put out differently, with put out: Firefighters put out the fire in an hour. And blow up means “explode” or “inflate”: blow up a balloon.
Your turn
A sudden gust of wind ___ the candles on our table, so the waiter came over to light them again.
Show the answer
blew out — A gust of wind put out the candles, and the waiter lit them again: blew out. Blew up would mean “exploded” or “inflated”, which doesn't happen to candles.
Describe a birthday or a candlelit dinner. Say who blew out the candles and what happened right after that.
At my sister's birthday party, she blew out the candles and then we all sang while Dad cut the cake.
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