blow away

2 meanings

Meanings
  1. 1 impress someone very strongly (informal) B2
  2. 2 be moved or pushed somewhere by the wind B1
1 blow sb away

impress someone very strongly (informal)

B2

What does "blow away" mean in this sense?

To blow someone away means to impress them so much that they are almost lost for words — it describes a powerful, overwhelmingly positive reaction to something. It is most often used to talk about performances, music, films, speeches, or experiences that genuinely stun someone with their quality or impact. The feeling is stronger than simply being impressed; there is a sense of being caught off guard by how good something is. Intensifiers like 'completely', 'totally', and 'absolutely' pair with it very naturally, which reflects just how emphatic the expression is. It is an informal expression that fits casual conversation, reviews, and social media well, but it would feel out of place in formal or academic writing.

Examples

How to use it

subject + blow + object (pronoun) + away

When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'blow' and 'away' — this is the most common spoken pattern.

The opening act completely blew us away.

subject + blow away + object (noun)

With noun objects, the noun can come after 'away', though separating it can feel more emphatic.

Her debut album blew away critics and fans alike.

subject + blow + object (noun) + away

Placing a shorter noun object between 'blow' and 'away' adds extra emphasis to the reaction.

The chef's final dish completely blew the judges away.

be blown away (by + source of impression)

The passive form is very natural and is often used to focus on the person who is impressed rather than what impressed them.

I was absolutely blown away by the scenery on that road trip.

be blown away + by what / how-clause

A clause beginning with 'what' or 'how' can follow the passive to explain the source of the impression in more detail.

She was blown away by how much effort the team had put into the presentation.

Common Collocations

performancetalentspeechmusicthe whole experiencescenery

Common Mistakes

Pronoun after 'away'

Pronoun objects like 'me', 'him', or 'them' must always go between 'blow' and 'away', never after the particle. Placing the pronoun after 'away' is ungrammatical.

✗ The music blew away me completely.
✓ The music blew me away completely.
Using it ironically or negatively

'Blow away' in this sense is always positive and enthusiastic — it cannot be used to mean disappoint or underwhelm, even in an ironic tone. If you want to express disappointment, use a different expression entirely.

✗ The film was supposed to be great, but it completely blew me away — I hated it.
✓ The film was supposed to be great, but it completely let me down.
Confusing with 'blow out'

'Blow out' typically means to defeat an opponent by a large margin or to extinguish something, while 'blow away' is about creating a strong positive emotional reaction in someone. They are not interchangeable.

✗ Her performance blew out the entire audience.
✓ Her performance blew the entire audience away.

Usage

This is an informal, spoken-style expression used in both British and American English. It is enthusiastic and emphatic, so it fits casual conversation, reviews, and social media, but avoid it in formal writing.

2 blow sb/sth away

be moved or pushed somewhere by the wind

B1

Sense 2: What does "blow sb/sth away" mean?

This sense of 'blow away' describes what happens when the wind carries something from one place to another. It is used for physical objects — like hats, papers, or leaves — that are lifted and moved through the air by the force of wind. The key idea is that the object travels some distance, not just that it falls or comes loose. You will hear it most often when people describe windy weather, storms, or strong gusts. It is a neutral, everyday expression used in conversation, weather reports, and descriptive writing.

Examples

How to use it

subject (thing) + blow away

The most common pattern — the thing carried by the wind is the subject, and no object is needed.

All the napkins blew away as soon as we sat down outside.

blow + object + away

When you name the force (usually the wind) as the subject, the object goes between the verb and 'away'.

The gust blew my umbrella away before I could grab it.

blow + pronoun + away

When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'blow' and 'away' — it cannot follow 'away'.

My scarf landed in the road — the wind just blew it away.

be blown away (by + wind/storm)

The passive form is natural when you want to focus on the object that was carried off, often in reports or explanations.

Several garden chairs were blown away by the storm overnight.

Common Collocations

hatumbrellapaperstentleavesroof

Common Mistakes

Confusing 'blow away' with 'blow off'

'Blow off' describes something becoming detached from a surface (like a lid coming off a bin), while 'blow away' means the object is carried through the air and moves a distance. If the thing just comes loose without travelling anywhere, use 'blow off'.

✗ The lid blew away from the bin and stayed on the ground next to it.
✓ The lid blew off the bin. / The hat blew away down the street.
Pronoun placed after 'away'

When the object is a pronoun like 'it' or 'them', it must come between 'blow' and 'away', not after 'away'.

✗ The wind blew away it.
✓ The wind blew it away.
Using the wrong sense with a person as object

If you use 'blow away' with a person as the object (e.g. 'it blew me away'), most English speakers will understand the informal sense meaning 'to impress greatly', not the wind sense. Stick to inanimate objects like hats, papers, or leaves for the wind meaning.

✗ The storm blew me away. (if you mean the wind physically moved you)
✓ The storm blew my tent away. / I was knocked over by the storm.

Usage

This is a neutral, everyday phrasal verb used in all varieties of English. It most naturally appears in the simple past when describing a specific weather event ('my scarf blew away'), and is equally common in intransitive and transitive patterns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'blow away' always have to be about a person — can a thing be 'blown away'?

In this sense, the object must always be a person or a group of people (such as an audience or crowd). You can say 'it blew the crowd away', but not 'it blew the film away' — the thing being impressed has to be human. The subject, however, can be a person, a performance, a place, or any experience.

Can I use 'blow away' in a formal essay or work email?

It is better to avoid it in formal contexts like academic essays or professional emails, as it is an informal, enthusiastic expression. In those situations, you could use 'impress greatly', 'leave a strong impression', or 'be struck by' instead.

Does 'blow away' always mean 'to impress'? I've seen it used differently.

No — 'blow away' has other meanings, such as carrying something away with wind or a violent slang sense. This page covers only the 'impress' sense. You can usually tell which sense is meant from the context: the impress sense is always positive, emotional, and involves a person as the object.

Which intensifiers work best with 'blow away'?

'Completely', 'totally', 'absolutely', and 'just' are the most natural choices and are used very frequently with this expression. They fit whether you use the active form ('it just blew me away') or the passive ('I was completely blown away').

Is 'blew me away' more common than other tenses?

Yes — the simple past form 'blew me away' is by far the most common pattern in spoken English, since people most often talk about a past experience that impressed them. That said, the present perfect ('I've been blown away') and present simple ('it blows me away every time') are also very natural.

Can I use 'blow away' in the present continuous, like 'my hat is blowing away'?

It sounds a little unnatural in most situations. The simple past ('my hat blew away') is far more common for describing a specific moment. The present continuous can work if you are watching something happen right now and describing it as it happens ('Look — the papers are blowing away!'), but this is not a typical use.

Does 'blow away' always refer to wind? Can other forces 'blow' things away?

In this sense, yes — it is almost always connected to wind, a storm, or a strong gust. The word 'blow' itself suggests moving air. If you want to describe something being carried away by water, for example, you would use a different verb like 'wash away'.

What kinds of things can 'blow away'?

Typically light or unsecured objects: hats, scarves, umbrellas, papers, leaves, napkins, tent covers, roof tiles, and similar things. These are objects that the wind can realistically lift and carry. Very heavy or fixed things would not naturally 'blow away' unless you are describing an extremely dramatic storm.

Does 'blow away' have other meanings in English?

Yes — the same form is also used informally to mean 'to impress someone greatly' (e.g. 'the concert blew me away'). There is also a slang use meaning 'to defeat completely'. The context — especially whether the object is a physical thing or a person — usually makes the meaning clear straight away.

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