as in nodding
bending downward or forward
the bowing blossoms indicated that the petunia plant desperately needed water
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in succumbing
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control)
finally bowed to the judge's insistence that she change her outfit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in submitting
to give up and cease resistance (as to a liking, temptation, or habit)
bowed to the craving for fresh coffee
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in curving
to turn away from a straight line or course
the river bows gently to the north before it reaches the sea
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2
as in bending
to cause to turn away from a straight line
you'll have to gently bow the strip of wood in order to fit it in
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bowing
Keith Laing, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Food is prepared and offered; soju is poured; there’s bowing, candles, a special table and floor mat, and absolutely no shoes.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2026
String player Matt Worley often stole the spotlight, making his banjo sound like a mandolin, while cellist Barney Morse-Brown ably covered the bass role, plucking the strings more often than bowing them.
—Thor Christensen, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
The film, which premiered at Sundance, will have a spring community screening tour and summer theatrical release before bowing on PBS in fall 2026.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
The company has previously rejected the court’s ruling and the Chinese government has accused Panama’s government of bowing to United States pressure.
—ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026
And there was certainly no sign any of the gubernatorial candidates plan to give up, bowing to concerns their large number could divide the Democratic vote and allow a pair of Republicans to slip through and emerge from California’s top-two primary.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
And there was certainly no sign any of the gubernatorial candidates plan to give up, bowing to concerns their large number could divide the Democratic vote and allow a pair of Republicans to slip through and emerge from California’s top-two primary.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
For its inaugural issue bowing in Saturday, the magazine tapped Naomi Campbell as cover star.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
Environmental groups that have held Toyota up for years as a laggard on EVs offered a much less charitable take, saying the Japanese manufacturer is simply bowing now to their years of pressure to urge them to press the gas on electric cars as the world's largest carmaker.
—Keith Laing, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Food is prepared and offered; soju is poured; there’s bowing, candles, a special table and floor mat, and absolutely no shoes.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2026
String player Matt Worley often stole the spotlight, making his banjo sound like a mandolin, while cellist Barney Morse-Brown ably covered the bass role, plucking the strings more often than bowing them.
—Thor Christensen, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
The film, which premiered at Sundance, will have a spring community screening tour and summer theatrical release before bowing on PBS in fall 2026.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
The company has previously rejected the court’s ruling and the Chinese government has accused Panama’s government of bowing to United States pressure.
—ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026
And there was certainly no sign any of the gubernatorial candidates plan to give up, bowing to concerns their large number could divide the Democratic vote and allow a pair of Republicans to slip through and emerge from California’s top-two primary.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
And there was certainly no sign any of the gubernatorial candidates plan to give up, bowing to concerns their large number could divide the Democratic vote and allow a pair of Republicans to slip through and emerge from California’s top-two primary.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
For its inaugural issue bowing in Saturday, the magazine tapped Naomi Campbell as cover star.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowing
Adjective
-
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.—
Aylin Woodward,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
With bowed heads, friends and classmates wrapped their arms around each other.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of your standard dress shoes, Styles finished the look with a perfect pair of minty-green ballet flats with bowed laces.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Bowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowing. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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