blast
/blæst/
Frequency: 4.32 in modern English
Meaning
noun
A violent gust of wind (in windy weather) or apparent wind (around a moving vehicle).
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A forcible stream of gas or liquid from an orifice, for example from a bellows, the tuyeres of a blast furnace, a person's mouth, etc.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The continuous blowing to which one charge of ore or metal is subjected in a furnace.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The exhaust steam from an engine, driving a column of air out of a boiler chimney, and thus creating an intense draught through the fire; also, any draught produced by the blast.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An explosion, especially for the purpose of destroying a mass of rock, etc.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "And see where surly Winter passes off, / Far to the north, and calls his ruffian blasts; / His blasts obey, and quit the howling hill."
- "Their warm, thick under covering of fine wool protects them from the coldest blasts."
- "Many tons of iron were melted at a blast."
- "Blast was produced by bellows worked by four 'blowers', three of whom worked at a time while the fourth stood ready to replace one of the others."
- "arc blast"
- "She caught the full impact of the blast."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *bʰleh₁-, blast, blǣst, *blāstu, *blēstuz, blasten
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /blæst/
- British English: /blɑːst/