bow

[ bou ]

/ baʊ /

verb (used without object)

to bend the knee or body or incline the head, as in reverence, submission, salutation, recognition, or acknowledgment.

to yield; submit: to bow to the inevitable.

to bend or curve downward; stoop: the pines bowed low.

verb (used with object)

to bend or incline (the knee, body, or head) in worship, submission, respect, civility, agreement, etc.: He bowed his head to the crowd.

to cause to submit; subdue; crush.

to cause to stoop or incline: Age had bowed his head.

to express by a bow: to bow one's thanks.

to usher (someone) with a bow (usually followed by in, out, etc.): They were bowed in by the footman.

to cause to bend; make curved or crooked.

noun

an inclination of the head or body in salutation, assent, thanks, reverence, respect, submission, etc.

Verb Phrases

bow out, to resign a position or withdraw from a job, competition, obligation, etc.: He bowed out after two terms as governor.

Idioms for bow

bow and scrape, to be excessively polite or deferential.

make one's bow, to appear publicly for the first time, as a performer, politician, etc.: The young pianist made her bow last night to an appreciative audience.

take a bow, to step forward or stand up in order to receive recognition, applause, etc.: The conductor had the soloists take a bow.

Origin of bow

before 900; Middle English bowen (v.), Old English būgan; cognate with Dutch buigen; akin to German biegen, Gothic biugan, Old Norse buga, etc.

SYNONYMS FOR bow

2 surrender, accede, defer, acquiesce, comply, capitulate.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bow ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for bow

1. See bend¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM bow

bowed·ness, noun bow·ing·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bow

bough bow

Words nearby bow

bovine somatotrophin, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, bovril, bovver, bovver boots, bow, bow and scrape, bow back, bow bells, bow collector, bow compass

Definition for bowed (2 of 2)

bow ²

[ boh ]

/ boʊ /

noun

a flexible strip of wood or other material, bent by a string stretched between its ends, for shooting arrows: He drew the bow and sent the arrow to its target.

an instrument resembling this, used for various purposes, as rotating a drill or spindle, or loosening entangled or matted fibers.

a bend or curve.

Also called bowknot. a looped knot composed of two or more loops and two ends, as for tying together the ends of a ribbon or string.

any separate piece of looped, knotted, or shaped gathering of ribbon, cloth, paper, etc., used as a decoration, as on a package, dress, or the like.

a long rod, originally curved but now nearly straight, with horsehairs stretched from one end to the other, used for playing on a musical instrument of the violin and viol families.

a single movement of such a device over the strings of a violin, viol, or the like.

bow tie.

something curved or arc-shaped.

a saddlebow.

an archer; bowman: He is the best bow in the county.

temple²(def 3).

a U-shaped piece for placing under an animal's neck to hold a yoke.

Building Trades. a flexible rod used for laying out large curves.

the part of a key grasped by the fingers.

the loop on the stem of a watch by which the watch is attached to a chain or the like.

a rainbow.

adjective

curved outward at the center; bent: bow legs.

verb (used with or without object)

to bend into the form of a bow; curve.

Music. to perform by means of a bow upon a stringed instrument.

Textiles Obsolete. to loosen by passing a vibrating bow among entangled fibers.

Origin of bow

before 1000; Middle English bowe (noun), Old English boga; cognate with Dutch boog, German Bogen, Old Norse bogi; akin to bow¹

OTHER WORDS FROM bow

bowed·ness, noun bow·less, adjective bow·like, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bow

bode bowed

Example sentences from the Web for bowed

Chen bowed her head during the playing of “America the Beautiful.”

Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss |Michael Daly |January 5, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Chalabi bowed out of the contest in the second round, giving al-Abadi an easy victory.

Exclusive: Inside Obama's Push for Regime Change in Iraq |Eli Lake |August 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The revelations cames as the Irish government today bowed to pressure and announced a full enquiry into the homes.

Irish Care Home Scandal Grows As Children Revealed To Be Used As Vaccine Guinea Pigs |Tom Sykes |June 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Louie is bowed by all this pressure and, in a moment of weakness, does end up seducing Amia.

Louie’s Elevator Romance: Can Love Exist Without Sex? |Amanda Marcotte |May 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

She bowed her head, seemingly not out of shame but simply because she was growing weary.

Tiona Rodriguez Charged After Dead Fetus Found in Bag at Victoria’s Secret |Michael Daly |October 20, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
I bowed my head to conceal the expression which might have told his lordship that I intended to do nothing of the kind.

The International Spy |Allen Upward
He bowed slightly, putting his hands behind him and moving toward his boat.

Greener Than You Think |Ward Moore
Then he bowed himself out, saying that he would return in the morning, and left us to our own devices.

She and Allan |H. Rider Haggard
She bowed to him slightly, her eye just lingering in his; and then she turned to take the parcels for departure.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles |Thomas Hardy
Appalled, almost unmanned, I bowed my head still lower as the quick tears of rage wet my lashes.

The Reckoning |Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (1 of 5)

bowed

/ (baʊd) /

adjective

lowered; bent forward; curved bowed head; bowed back

bowed down (foll by by or with) weighed down; troubled bowed down by grief

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (2 of 5)

bow ¹

/ (baʊ) /

verb

to lower (one's head) or bend (one's knee or body) as a sign of respect, greeting, assent, or shame

to bend or cause to bend; incline downwards

(intr ; usually foll by to or before) to comply or accept bow to the inevitable

(tr ; foll by in, out, to etc) to usher (someone) into or out of a place with bows and deference the manager bowed us to our car

(tr; usually foll by down) to bring (a person, nation, etc) to a state of submission

bow and scrape to behave in an excessively deferential or obsequious way

noun

a lowering or inclination of the head or body as a mark of respect, greeting, or assent

take a bow to acknowledge or receive applause or praise

Word Origin for bow

Old English būgan, related to Old Norse bjūgr bent, Old High German biogan to bend, Dutch buigen

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (3 of 5)

bow ²

/ (bəʊ) /

noun

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

a long slightly curved stick across which are stretched strands of horsehair, used for playing the strings of a violin, viola, cello, or related instrument
a stroke with such a stick

a decorative interlacing of ribbon or other fabrics, usually having two loops and two loose ends
the knot forming such an interlacing; bowknot

something that is curved, bent, or arched
(in combination)rainbow; oxbow; saddlebow

a person who uses a bow and arrow; archer

a frame of a pair of spectacles
a sidepiece of the frame of a pair of spectacles that curls round behind the ear

a metal ring forming the handle of a pair of scissors or of a large old-fashioned key

architect part of a building curved in the form of a bow See also bow window

verb

to form or cause to form a curve or curves

to make strokes of a bow across (violin strings)

Word Origin for bow

Old English boga arch, bow; related to Old Norse bogi a bow, Old High German bogo, Old Irish bocc, and bow 1

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (4 of 5)

bow ³

/ (baʊ) /

noun

mainly nautical

(often plural) the forward end or part of a vessel
(as modifier)the bow mooring line

rowing short for bowman 2

on the port bow nautical within 45 degrees to the port of straight ahead

on the starboard bow nautical within 45 degrees to the starboard of straight ahead

a shot across someone's bows informal a warning

Word Origin for bow

C15: probably from Low German boog; related to Dutch boeg, Danish bov ship's bow, shoulder; see bough

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (5 of 5)

Bow

/ (bəʊ) /

noun

Clara, known as the It Girl . 1905–65, US film actress, noted for her vivacity and sex appeal

Idioms and Phrases with bowed

bow

In addition to the idioms beginning with bow

bow and scrape
bowl of cherries, life is just a
bowl over
bow out

also see:

take a bow
two strings to one's bow

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bow

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Idioms for bow

Origin of bow

SYNONYMS FOR bow

synonym study for bow

OTHER WORDS FROM bow

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bow

Words nearby bow

Definition for bowed (2 of 2)

noun

adjective

verb (used with or without object)

Origin of bow

OTHER WORDS FROM bow

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bow

Example sentences from the Web for bowed

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (1 of 5)

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (2 of 5)

verb

noun

Word Origin for bow

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (3 of 5)

noun

verb

Word Origin for bow

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (4 of 5)

noun

Word Origin for bow

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (5 of 5)

noun

Idioms and Phrases with bowed

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bow

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Idioms for bow

Origin of bow

SYNONYMS FOR bow

synonym study for bow

OTHER WORDS FROM bow

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bow

Words nearby bow

Definition for bowed (2 of 2)

noun

adjective

verb (used with or without object)

Origin of bow

OTHER WORDS FROM bow

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bow

Words related to bowed

Example sentences from the Web for bowed

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (1 of 5)

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (2 of 5)

verb

noun

Word Origin for bow

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (3 of 5)

noun

verb

Word Origin for bow

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (4 of 5)

noun

Word Origin for bow

British Dictionary definitions for bowed (5 of 5)

noun

Idioms and Phrases with bowed