overblow

From over- +‎ blow (“to flower, bloom”).

overblow (third-person singular simple present overblows, present participle overblowing, simple past overblew, past participle overblown)

1. (transitive) To cover with blossoms or flowers.

From Middle English overblowen, equivalent to over- +‎ blow.

overblow (third-person singular simple present overblows, present participle overblowing, simple past overblew, past participle overblown)

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To blow over; pass over; pass away.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

     But art thou not drown'd, Stephano? I hope now thou are / not drown'd. Is the storm overblown?

2. (intransitive) To blow hard or with much violence.
3. (transitive) To blow over or across.
4. (transitive) To blow away; dissipate by or as by wind.
5. (transitive) To exaggerate the significance of something.
   • 2006, Jock Lauterer, Community Journalism: Relentlessly Local:

     if you do print the DUI story and sensationalize and overblow it

6. (transitive, music) To blow a wind instrument (typically a whistle, recorder or flute) hard to produce a higher pitch than usual.
   • 1909, Leander Jan Bekker, Stokes' Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians:

     The upper octaves of the flute's compass are produced by overblowing.

7. (intransitive, music) Of a wind instrument, to move from its lower to its higher register.

   The oboe overblows at the octave; the clarinet at the twelfth.

• blow over, bowl over, overbowl