What’s the past tense of “blow”?
What’s the past tense of the verb blow? Is it blow, blew, or blown? If you’re looking for the short answer, it’s below. To get a better understanding, read the full article (don’t just blow through it.)
Verb forms of blow
The verb blow, as described by Collins Dictionary: “If the wind blows something somewhere or if it blows there, the wind moves it there: A chill wind blew at the top of the hill.” Also, “If you blow, you send out a stream of air from your mouth: Take a deep breath and blow.”
| present | past | future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| simple | I blow | I blew | I will blow |
| continuous | I am blowing | I was blowing | I will be blowing |
| perfect | I have blown | I had blown | I will have blown |
| perfect continuous | I have been blowing | I had been blowing | I will have been blowing |
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| Present tense | I need to blow my nose. |
| Simple past | A chill wind blew at the top of the hill. |
| Past participle | The car tires have blown out! |
Is blow a regular or irregular verb?
The verb to blow is irregular, since neither of its past tense forms end in -ed, as regular verb forms do. Walked, talked, laughed, and played are all examples of regular verb forms in English, since they end in -ed in both their past tense and past participle forms.
This makes the verb to blow irregular, since its past tense forms end in something other than -ed (i.e., blew/blown). See the chart of other irregular verbs with two past tense conjugations:
| Base verb | Past tense | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| grow | grew | grown |
| give | gave | given |
| begin | began | begun |
| sing | sang | sung |
| blow | blew | blown |
When to use “blew” or “blown”
| Form | Example | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| blew | Sarah blew out all of her birthday candles. | Simple past |
| blown | The storm has blown over. | Past participle (with helping verb) |
What’s the difference between the two sentences? Both are in the past, and so describe actions that have already occurred in time. However, the past simple and past participle nevertheless differ from each other in clear ways both structurally, and in their purpose.
“Blow” / “blew” / “blown”, used in sentences
| Examples: blow, used in sentences |
|---|
|
I delivered a blow on his arm. To whistle, you need to blow softly. Great winds blow upon high hills. |
| Examples: blew/blown, used in sentences |
|---|
|
She grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter and blew her nose. The wind blew the sign over. He drew on his cigarette and blew out a stream of smoke. The plane was blown up by hijackers. |
“blew” vs “blown,” associate “blown” with needing a helping verb like “has” or “have.” “Blew” is typically used alone for the simple past.
Origin of the word blow
From etymology online on blow (v.):
“Move air, produce a current of air,” Middle English blouen, from Old English blawan “to blow (of the wind, bellows, etc.), breathe, make an air current; kindle; inflate; sound” a wind instrument, from Proto-Germanic *blæ-anan.
Worksheet: Irregular verbs
The wind ___ all night and kept us awake.
He is ___ up balloons for the party right now.
If she ___ the whistle, everyone must stop playing.
The leaves have been ___ away by the storm.
He never ___ bubbles; he prefers to watch others do it.
FAQs
What is the simple past tense of blow?
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What is the past participle of blow?
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When do I use the word ‘blew’?
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When do I use the word ‘blown’?
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Why is ‘blow’ considered irregular?
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- Merriam-Webster, definition of blow.
- Etymology online, origin of blow.
Yash, D. "How to Use Blew or Blown? (Explained, With Examples)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/blew-or-blown/.
