bow

1 of 5

verb (1)

bowed; bowing; bows

intransitive verb

1
: to cease from competition or resistance : submit, yield
refusing to bow to the inevitableJohn O'Hara
also : to suffer defeat
bowed to the champion
2
: to bend the head, body, or knee in reverence, submission, or shame
Bow before the king.
bowed her head in shame
3
: to incline the head or body in salutation or assent or to acknowledge applause
bowing to the audience
4
: debut
the play will bow next month

transitive verb

1
: to cause to incline
wind bowing the treetops
2
: to incline especially in respect or submission
bow their heads in prayer
3
: to crush with a heavy burden
whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave Shakespeare
4
a
: to express by bending the head, body, or knee : to express by bowing
bowing his appreciation
b
: to usher in or out with a bow (see bow entry 2)

bow

2 of 5

noun (1)

: a bending of the head or body in respect, submission, assent, or salutation
also : a show of respect or submission
smiled and gave a bow

bow

3 of 5

noun (2)

1
a
: something bent into a simple curve or arc
b
2
: a weapon that is used to propel an arrow and that is made of a strip of flexible material (such as wood) with a cord connecting the two ends and holding the strip bent
hunting with bow and arrow
3
: archer
4
a
: a metal ring or loop forming a handle (as of a key)
b
: a knot formed by doubling a ribbon or string into two or more loops
d
: a frame for the lenses of eyeglasses
also : the sidepiece of the frame passing over the ear
5
music
a
: a wooden rod with horsehairs stretched from end to end used in playing an instrument of the viol or violin family
b
: a stroke of such a bow
on the up bow

bow

4 of 5

verb (2)

bowed; bowing; bows

intransitive verb

1
: to bend into a curve
the wall bows a little
2
music : to play a stringed instrument with a bow (see bow entry 3 sense 5a)

transitive verb

1
: to cause to bend into a curve
Years of riding had bowed his legs.
2
music : to play (a stringed instrument) with a bow
bowing the strings

bow

5 of 5

noun (3)

1
nautical : the forward part of a ship
often used in plural
crossing the bows
2
nautical : bowman entry 2

Examples of bow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Everything from Billboard charts to beauty trends to politics itself has bowed to or been transformed by TikTok. Kate Lindsay, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 As the video played in court Tuesday, the boy's father, Craig Shilling, bowed his head and wiped his eyes. Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 As the teacher started to count down, the students uncrossed their arms and bowed their heads, completing the exercise in a flash. Emma Bubola, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 With nearly 9,500 copies sold on vinyl, the album also bows at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart, BTS’ second leader on that list, following Love Yourself: Her in 2023. Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 9 Mar. 2024 Dune: Part Two bowed on 809 Imax screens and raked in $32.2 million in global box office, or a notable 18 percent share. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024 Keep in mind that this acrylic coffee table isn’t able to hold very much weight; even a stack of heavy books placed in the center for long periods of time may cause the table to bow slightly. Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Feb. 2024 The series bows on Sky Atlantic on May 2 and on streaming service Now in the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as on Peacock in the U.S. and Stan in Australia. Ed Meza, Variety, 29 Feb. 2024 South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told doctors to end a walkout in protest of a government plan to increase seats at medical schools, saying the labor action is threatening lives and his government won’t bow to pressure. Shinhye Kang, Bloomberg.com, 27 Feb. 2024
Noun
The port bow railing of the Titanic is seen in 12,600 feet of water about 400 miles east of Nova Scotia, Canada, as photographed as part of a joint scientific and recovery expedition sponsored by the Discovery Channel and RMS Titanic. CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 Historically, Azimut has not been known for functional details, but the 72 has a third steering station with joystick controls in the cockpit for easier docking, as well as a work area at the bow for crew members working the anchor. Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 Bow Tie Shirt has both a pattern and bow à la Paltrow’s. Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024 Return to 112 days and platform bows won’t benefit for theatrical release marketing, the panel agreed. John Hopewell, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 Despite being the only couple to marry in Season 6, Amy and Johnny’s love story was wrapped in a neat bow within 20 minutes — half the amount of time devoted to Clay and AD’s non-wedding in the episode. Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 The last shot showed Victoria giving her final bow at the show. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 This follows the theatrical bows of the season’s first three episodes on Feb. 2 and three more episodes on Feb. 16. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 2 Mar. 2024 The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations confirmed in an update Saturday that the vessel had sunk, with only a small part of the bow of the ship remaining above the water. Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1) and Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English būgan; akin to Old High German biogan to bend, Sanskrit bhujati he bends

Noun (2) and Verb (2)

Middle English bowe, from Old English boga; akin to Old English būgan

Noun (3)

Middle English bowe, bowgh, probably from Middle Dutch boech bow, shoulder; akin to Old English bōg bough

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

circa 1656, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (3)

1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bow was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bow

Cite this Entry

“Bow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bow. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bow

1 of 5 verb
1
: to bend the head, body, or knee in greeting, respect, agreement, or obedience
2
: yield entry 1 sense 5
bow to authority
3
: bend entry 1 sense 6
bowed with age
4
: to express by bowing
bow one's thanks

bow

2 of 5 noun
: a bending of the head or body expressing respect, agreement, obedience, or greeting

bow

3 of 5 noun
1
2
: a weapon used for shooting arrows that is usually made of a strip of wood bent by a cord connecting the two ends
3
: something that is curved like a bow
4
: a wooden rod with horsehairs stretched from end to end used for playing a violin or similar instrument
5
: a knot made with two or more loops
tie the ribbon in a bow

bow

4 of 5 verb
1
: to bend into a curve
2
: to play a stringed instrument with a bow

bow

5 of 5 noun
: the forward part of a ship
Etymology

Verb

Middle English bowen "to bend, yield," from Old English būgan "to bend in obedience"

Noun

Middle English bowe "something curved," from Old English boga (same meaning)

Noun

Middle English bowe (same meaning), probably from early Dutch boech "bow, shoulder"

Medical Definition

bow

noun
: a frame for the lenses of eyeglasses
also : the curved sidepiece of the frame passing over the ear

Geographical Definition

Bow

geographical name

river 315 miles (507 kilometers) long in southwestern Alberta, Canada, rising in Banff National Park

More from Merriam-Webster on bow

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