bow
bow — verb
1. to dip from the waist or lower your face for a moment in greeting, respect, than
to dip from the waist or lower your face for a moment in greeting, respect, thanks, or obedience.
At the temple gate, Hana bowed to the old monk before speaking.
bow to + person
After the final song, the singer bowed while the crowd clapped.
performer thanks an audience
Mr. Silva bowed his head for a moment after the prayer.
transitive: bow your head
Noa bowed slightly and thanked the host for dinner.
- bow politely
- bow deeply
- bow slightly
- bow before the audience
- straighten up
moves back to an upright position instead of lowering the body
Grammar Patterns
bow to [person/audience]
bow your head
Usage Note
Usually intransitive when you greet someone or thank an audience. The transitive pattern is mainly used with words like head.
Common Mistakes
2. to make the strings of a violin, cello, or similar instrument sound by moving a
to make the strings of a violin, cello, or similar instrument sound by moving a bow across them.
Mei bowed the violin slowly during the quiet opening of the piece.
bow + [instrument]
The student could pluck the strings, but still could not bow them evenly.
contrast: pluck vs bow
In the orchestra pit, Ravi bowed his cello with long smooth strokes.
music technique: smooth strokes
A harsh sound came out when Zoe bowed too close to the bridge.
- bow the violin
- bow a cello
- bow the strings
- smooth bow stroke
- pluck
makes the string sound by pulling it with fingers instead of using a bow
Grammar Patterns
bow + [string instrument]
Usage Note
Only used for instruments that are played with a separate bow. Distinguish this sense from verb/3, which is about making an object curve.
Common Mistakes
3. to become curved, or to make something become curved, instead of staying straigh
to become curved, or to make something become curved, instead of staying straight.
Heavy snow bowed the thin branch over the garden path.
transitive: weight bows [object]
Years of heat had bowed the wooden shelf in the middle.
The plastic ruler bowed when Omar pressed both ends together.
intransitive: object bows
Workers bowed the metal strip to fit the round window.
- bow under pressure
- bow with age
- bow a branch
- bow a strip of metal
- straighten
return something to a straight shape
Grammar Patterns
[object] bows under weight
bow + [object] into a curve
Usage Note
Most often used for physical things such as wood, branches, or metal under pressure or weight. Distinguish from verb/1, which describes a human gesture.
bow down to
phrasal verbTo accept someone's authority or power over you, often unwillingly.
The villagers refused to bow down to the new ruler.
Diego will not bow down to anyone who threatens his family.
bow out
phrasal verbTo leave a job, competition, or situation gracefully, especially before it ends.
After ten years as CEO, Sara decided to bow out.
The singer bowed out of the contest due to health issues.
bow to
phrasal verbTo accept or obey something, especially after initially resisting.
The company finally bowed to pressure from customers.
Brian bowed to his parents' wishes and studied law.
bow and scrape
idiomTo behave in an extremely polite and humble way toward someone in authority, hoping to win their favor.
The new intern bowed and scraped before the senior manager every day.
Maya refused to bow and scrape just to get a promotion.
bow — noun
1. a short dipping movement from the waist or neck used for greeting, respect, or t
a short dipping movement from the waist or neck used for greeting, respect, or thanks.
The prince gave a short bow to the guests before dinner.
give a bow
At the curtain call, each actor took a bow alone.
take a bow
One deep bow from the child made the grandparents smile.
Aiko answered the teacher's praise with a quiet bow.
- deep bow
- slight bow
- take a bow
- return a bow
Grammar Patterns
give a bow
take a bow
Usage Note
Often appears in the phrases give a bow and take a bow. Take a bow is especially common for performers at the end of a show.
2. the end of a boat that points ahead as it moves through the water.
the end of a boat that points ahead as it moves through the water.
Spray hit the bow as the fishing boat crossed the rough water.
the bow of a boat
A red flag was tied near the bow of the sailboat.
Two children sat at the bow and watched for dolphins.
The crew painted the company name across the bow.
- the bow of the ship
- at the bow
- near the bow
- paint the bow
- stern
the back end of a boat or ship
Grammar Patterns
the bow of a ship
Usage Note
This is a nautical word. In everyday speech, many people simply say the front of the boat.
Common Mistakes
3. a tied ribbon or lace shape with a loop on each side and loose ends hanging down
a tied ribbon or lace shape with a loop on each side and loose ends hanging down.
Ella tied a neat bow on the gift box with gold ribbon.
tie a bow
One side of the bow came loose as Ben ran to school.
The baby wore a pink bow above one ear.
hair bow
Marta made a large bow from the extra lace.
- tie a bow
- hair bow
- ribbon bow
- bow comes loose
Grammar Patterns
tie a bow
hair bow
Usage Note
Common for ribbons, shoelaces, and hair decorations. Distinguish from bow tie, which is the name of a piece of clothing.
Common Mistakes
4. a curved frame with a stretched cord that sends an arrow forward when released.
a curved frame with a stretched cord that sends an arrow forward when released.
The guide taught Bao how to hold the bow and arrow safely.
bow and arrow
A crack appeared in the old bow after the wet season.
Rina pulled the bow back until the string touched her chin.
draw a bow
The museum showed a hunting bow from northern Japan.
- bow and arrow
- hunting bow
- draw a bow
- hold a bow
- longbow
a particular tall type of bow, not the general word
- recurve bow
a modern type with curved ends; more specific than the basic sense
Grammar Patterns
a bow and arrow
draw a bow
Usage Note
Most often appears in the phrase bow and arrow. This sense belongs to archery and hunting, not to modern firearms.
5. the stick with stretched hair that a violinist, cellist, or similar player moves
the stick with stretched hair that a violinist, cellist, or similar player moves across the strings.
The teacher asked Jun to loosen the bow after the lesson.
loosen the bow
Rosin on the bow helped the strings catch better.
rosin on the bow
A hair came loose from the bow during the concert.
Lena forgot her bow and had to borrow one backstage.
- tighten the bow
- loosen the bow
- rosin the bow
- bow hair
- violin bow
same object when used with a violin
- cello bow
same kind of tool, but made for a cello
Grammar Patterns
draw the bow across the strings
tighten / loosen the bow
Usage Note
Used for the tool itself, not for the action of playing. For the playing action, use verb/2.
6. in rowing, the seat at the boat's front.
in rowing, the seat at the boat's front.
After practice, Nadia moved to bow, the front seat of the boat.
bow = front seat in rowing
In practice, the coach put the lightest rower in bow, the front seat.
Sitting in bow, Wen called the rhythm change from the front seat.
In the new boat, bow felt less steady than the seat behind it.
- in bow
- from bow
- move to bow
- bow seat
- bow seat
more explicit phrase for the same rowing position
- front seat
informal description, but less exact in rowing
- stern
the opposite end of the boat in rowing language
Grammar Patterns
row in bow
Usage Note
Specialist rowing term for the seat at the boat's front. Distinguish from noun/7, which names the rower in that seat.
7. in rowing, the rower who sits in the seat at the boat's front.
in rowing, the rower who sits in the seat at the boat's front.
As bow, Tariq checked both oars before the race began.
as bow = as front rower
The coach chose Ines as bow because she stayed calm in rough water.
Bow, the front rower, must watch the lane line near the finish.
In the photo, bow is the rower lifting one hand at the front.
- as bow
- choose someone as bow
- bow checks the lane
- bow rower
- bowman
traditional rowing term for the same person
- front rower
plain-language description, but less exact than the sport term
- stroke
the rower at the other end who sets the rhythm
Grammar Patterns
serve as bow
Usage Note
Another specialist rowing term. It names the rower, not the seat; for the seat itself, use noun/6.
A warning or signal that you will take action if someone does not change their behavior.
The manager's email was a shot across the bows for lazy employees.
The protest served as a shot across the government's bows.
take a/your bow
idiomTo bend forward as a way of thanking the audience for their applause after a performance.
The actor came back on stage to take a bow.
After the final song, the band took their bow.
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
Bow usually suggests a deliberate forward movement of the head or upper body, often in a formal or respectful situation. Nod is smaller and lighter, and it may only show greeting or agreement for a moment. Bend is the broad physical verb, so it can describe your back, a tree, or a piece of metal, with no idea of politeness. Curtsy is the traditional matching gesture with bent knees, now mostly limited to ceremonies or historical settings. Kneel is stronger than bow because it means going down onto one or both knees, often in prayer or deep respect. At the end of a concert, performers bow; meeting a neighbour, you might only nod; in church, some people kneel.
Etymology
Modern English bow brings together old Germanic words connected with bending and curved shapes. The gesture verb comes from an Old English verb meaning to bend or stoop. The noun for the weapon, and later the ribbon shape, the musical tool, and the front of a ship, grew from an Old English noun for an arched or curved object. That shared idea of a curve helps explain why so many different senses use the same spelling, even though modern English now pronounces some of them differently.