Illustration of oxbow
- oxbow 1
1
: a U-shaped frame forming a collar about an ox's neck and holding the yoke in place
2
: something (such as a bend in a river) resembling an oxbow
oxbow
adjective
Examples of oxbow in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Deer routinely bed down in oxbows, up against creeks and rivers, and near lake edges offering cover.
—
Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 19 Dec. 2024
Upstream a few miles, the Mattaponi reservation of about 150 acres sits on a bluff overlooking the Mattaponi River; about 10 miles away, the larger Pamunkey reservation of more than 1,000 acres lies in an oxbow in the Pamunkey River.
—Andrew Sharp, Outdoor Life, 27 Nov. 2024
Silver’s meandering itinerary through the River and all its oxbows makes for an enjoyable ride.
—Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
The two were on a big oxbow lake off the Ouachita River near his home.
—Outdoor Life, 3 Aug. 2023
In the 1990s, for example, one dolphin placed in an oxbow lake died after getting stuck in fishing gear that hadn’t been removed, according to the Natural History Museum in the UK.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 3 June 2023
The lobes of the waves get more pronounced, much like the river oxbow bends seen in the image above.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 24 May 2019
The federal government provided seven kegs of black powder to local farmers who blew up the entrance of a river oxbow that had been developing for 70 years.
—Jonmaesha Beltran, The Arizona Republic, 15 Aug. 2022
The oxbow formed 4,000 acres of weeds and trees, according to a state proclamation honoring the area's 100-year anniversary.
—Jonmaesha Beltran, The Arizona Republic, 15 Aug. 2022
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Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 19 Dec. 2024
Upstream a few miles, the Mattaponi reservation of about 150 acres sits on a bluff overlooking the Mattaponi River; about 10 miles away, the larger Pamunkey reservation of more than 1,000 acres lies in an oxbow in the Pamunkey River.
—Andrew Sharp, Outdoor Life, 27 Nov. 2024
Silver’s meandering itinerary through the River and all its oxbows makes for an enjoyable ride.
—Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
The two were on a big oxbow lake off the Ouachita River near his home.
—Outdoor Life, 3 Aug. 2023
In the 1990s, for example, one dolphin placed in an oxbow lake died after getting stuck in fishing gear that hadn’t been removed, according to the Natural History Museum in the UK.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 3 June 2023
The lobes of the waves get more pronounced, much like the river oxbow bends seen in the image above.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 24 May 2019
The federal government provided seven kegs of black powder to local farmers who blew up the entrance of a river oxbow that had been developing for 70 years.
—Jonmaesha Beltran, The Arizona Republic, 15 Aug. 2022
The oxbow formed 4,000 acres of weeds and trees, according to a state proclamation honoring the area's 100-year anniversary.
—Jonmaesha Beltran, The Arizona Republic, 15 Aug. 2022
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Cite this Entry
“Oxbow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oxbow. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
oxbow
noun
ox·bow
-ˌbō 
1
: a U-shaped collar worn by a draft ox
2
: something (as a bend in a river) resembling an oxbow
oxbow
adjective
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