Definition of 'bow'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense bows
, present participle bowing
, past tense, past participle bowed
1. verb
When you bow to someone, you briefly bend your body towards them as a formal way of greeting them
or showing respect.
Bow is also a noun.
2. verb
3. verb
4. passive verb
To be bowed down means the same as to be bowed.
5.
6.
See take a bow
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
bow
Word Frequency
bow in British English 1
noun
7.
a lowering or inclination of the head or body as a mark of respect, greeting, or assent
8. See take a bow
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
Old English būgan, related to Old Norse bjūgr bent, Old High German biogan to bend, Dutch buigenWord Frequency
bow in British English 2
noun
1.
a weapon for shooting arrows, consisting of an arch of flexible wood, plastic, metal, etc bent by a string ( bowstring) fastened at each end
See also crossbow 3.
a.
4.
a.
something that is curved, bent, or arched
b.
(in combination)
rainbow
oxbow
saddlebow
5.
a person who uses a bow and arrow; archer
7.
verb
9.
to form or cause to form a curve or curves
10.
to make strokes of a bow across (violin strings)
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
Old English boga arch, bow; related to Old Norse bogi a bow, Old High German bogo, Old Irish bocc, and bow1Word Frequency
bow in British English 3
noun
1. mainly nautical
b.
(as modifier)
the bow mooring line
3. See on the port bow
4. See on the starboard bow
5. See a shot across someone's bows
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C15: probably from Low German boog; related to Dutch boeg, Danish bov ship's bow, shoulder; see boughWord Frequency
bow in American English 1
verb intransitive
2.
4.
to express assent, greeting, etc. by bowing
verb transitive
5. Dialectal
to bend
6.
to bend (one's head) down in respect, prayer, shame, etc.
7.
to indicate (agreement, thanks, etc.) by bowing
noun
9.
a bending down of the head or body, as in respect or greeting
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME bouen < OE bugan, to bend < IE base *bheugh-, to bend > Ger biegen; the bow1 noun is 17th c.
Word Frequency
bow in American English 2
noun
2.
the rower nearest the bow
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME boue < LowG or Scand: LowG būg, Du boeg, Swed bog, shoulder, shoulders of a ship, bows; akin to boughWord Frequency
bow in American English 3
noun
1.
anything curved or bent
a rainbow, oxbow
2.
a curve; bend
3.
4.
an archer
5.
a.
a slender stick strung along its length with horsehairs, drawn across the strings of a violin,
cello, etc. to play it
b.
a stroke with such a bow
6.
a bowknot or a decorative knot, as of ribbon, with two or more loops
7.
either of the sidepieces of a pair of glasses extending over the ears; temple
adjective
8.
bow-shaped; curved; bent
verb transitive, verb intransitive
9.
to bend or curve in the shape of a bow
the wall bowed outward from the pressure
10. Music
to play (a violin, etc.) with a bow
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Examples of 'bow' in a sentence
bow
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Word lists with
bow
architectural featuresQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which architectural feature am I?
an ornament on top of a spire, gable, etc, esp in the form of a foliated fleur-de-lys
Which architectural feature am I?
the edge of the roof tiles projecting over a gable
Which architectural feature am I?
a member at the top of a wall, pier, or column that supports an arch, esp one that has a projecting moulding
Which architectural feature am I?
(esp of a classical temple) having a set of columns at both ends but not at the sides
Your score:
Trends of
bow
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In other languages
bow
British English: bow
/bəʊ/ NOUN
weapon A bow is a long, curved piece of wood with a string stretched between the two ends, that is used to send arrows through the air.
Some of the riders had bows and arrows.
- American English: bow /ˈbaʊ, ˈboʊ/ weapon
- Arabic: قَوس
- Brazilian Portuguese: arco de flecha
- Chinese: 弓
- Croatian: luk
- Czech: luk
- Danish: bue våben
- Dutch: boog wapen
- European Spanish: arco arma
- Finnish: jousipyssy
- French: arc
- German: Bogen Pfeil
- Greek: τόξο
- Italian: arco
- Japanese: 弓
- Korean: 활
- Norwegian: bue pil-og-bue
- Polish: łuk
- European Portuguese: arco de flecha
- Romanian: arc
- Russian: лук
- Latin American Spanish: arco
- Swedish: båge kurva
- Thai: คันธนู
- Turkish: yay
- Ukrainian: лук
- Vietnamese: cung
British English: bow
/baʊ/ VERB
When you bow, you bend your body towards someone as a polite way of saying hello or thanking them.
They all bowed to the king.
- American English: bow /ˈbaʊ/
- Arabic: يَنْحَنِي ل
- Brazilian Portuguese: fazer uma vénia
- Chinese: 鞠躬
- Croatian: nakloniti se
- Czech: uklonit se
- Danish: bukke
- Dutch: buigen knielen
- European Spanish: hacer una reverencia
- Finnish: kumartaa
- French: s’incliner
- German: verbeugen
- Greek: υποκλίνομαι
- Italian: inchinarsi
- Japanese: お辞儀をする
- Korean: 절하다
- Norwegian: bukke
- Polish: ukłonić się
- European Portuguese: fazer uma vénia
- Romanian: a se înclina
- Russian: кланяться
- Latin American Spanish: hacer una reverencia
- Swedish: buga (sig)
- Thai: คำนับ, โค้งคำนับ
- Turkish: baş eğme
- Ukrainian: вклонятися
- Vietnamese: cúi chào
- American English: bow /ˈbaʊ, ˈboʊ/
- Arabic: أُنْشُوطَة
- Brazilian Portuguese: laço
- Chinese: 蝴蝶结
- Croatian: mašna
- Czech: kličkana tkaničce
- Danish: sløjfe
- Dutch: strik
- European Spanish: lazo
- Finnish: rusetti
- French: nœud ruban d'emballage
- German: Haarschleife
- Greek: φιόγκος
- Italian: nodo
- Japanese: ちょう結び
- Korean: 매듭
- Norwegian: knute
- Polish: kokardka
- European Portuguese: laço
- Romanian: fundă
- Russian: узел бантик
- Latin American Spanish: lazo
- Swedish: knut
- Thai: โบ
- Turkish: papyon
- Ukrainian: бант
- Vietnamese: nơ
Browse alphabetically
bow
Source
Definition of bow from the Collins English Dictionary
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Question: 1
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wear or where?
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Where
Wear
will it all end?
vane or vein or vain?
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vain
vane
vein
I was singing in a effort to cheer him up.
cell or sell?
Which version is correct?
we're or were or where?
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were
we're
where
There always things to think about when she went walking.
him or hymn?
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him
hymn
On his arrival, Elaine met at the bus station.
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place or plaice?
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place
plaice
The best to catch fish on a canal is close to a lock.
lessen or lesson?
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lessen
lesson
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tide
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Which version is correct?
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feet
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