The simple past tense of blow is blew, and the past participle is blown. Use blew for simple past and blown with auxiliary verbs like "have" or "had".

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."

Similar irregular verbs

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.

When to use blew vs. blown

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.

Sentence examples: blow, blew, blown

Blow (present tense)

Examples:

• I delivered a blow on his arm.

• To whistle, you need to blow softly.

• Great winds blow upon high hills.

Blew (past simple)

Examples:

• She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose.

• The wind blew the sign over.

• He drew on his cigarette and blew out a stream of smoke.

Blown (past participle)

Examples:

• The storm has blown over.

• The plane was blown up by hijackers.

Origin of the word blow

“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

FAQs

What is the simple past tense of blow?

The simple past tense of the verb 'blow' is 'blew'. It is used to describe actions that happened and finished in the past, such as 'A chill wind blew at the top of the hill.'

What is the past participle of blow?

The past participle of 'blow' is 'blown'. You typically use it with a helping verb like 'have' or 'had' to form perfect tenses, as in 'The car tires have blown out!'

When do I use the word 'blew'?

Use 'blew' for the simple past tense. It describes a completed action that occurred in the past without needing a helping verb. An example from the post is 'Sarah blew out all of her birthday candles.'

When do I use the word 'blown'?

Use 'blown' as the past participle, often with a helping verb (like 'has' or 'had') to form perfect tenses. The post uses 'The storm has blown over' as an example of its correct usage.

Why is 'blow' considered irregular?

The verb 'blow' is irregular because its past tense forms ('blew' and 'blown') do not end in '-ed'. Regular verbs, like 'walk' ('walked'), follow this standard '-ed' pattern.