26984 words

bows

15 definitions • 18 examples
1
to bend your head or body forward, especially as a way of showing someone respect or expressing thanks to people who have watched you perform:

Examples:

bow to They bowed to the Queen.
bow your head We bowed our heads in prayer.
He stood at the back, head bowed in silent contemplation.
bow down He bowed down before (= in front of) the king and begged for mercy.
2
the movement of bending your head or body forward, especially as a way of showing someone respect or expressing thanks to people who have watched you perform:

Examples:

take a bow The audience applauded enthusiastically, and she came back on stage to take another bow.
3
the front part of a boat or ship
4
in the sport of rowing, the rowing position closest to the front of the boat:

Examples:

She has moved from the number 5 seat to row at bow.
The man in the bow seat is the youngest in the crew.
5
in the sport of rowing, the person sitting closest to the front of the boat:

Examples:

He was bow in his University's eight.
6
a knot with two curved parts and two loose ends, used as a decoration or to tie shoes:

Examples:

I tied the ribbon around the present in a pretty bow.
7
a weapon for shooting arrows, made of a long, thin piece of wood or fibreglass bent into a curve by a tightly stretched string:

Examples:

bow and arrow He made his own bow and arrows.
The arrow had been shot from a bow.
So-called recurve bows are used in Olympic archery competitions.
8
a long, thin piece of wood with hair from the tail of a horse stretched along it, used to play musical instruments that have strings:

Examples:

Violins are played with bows.
9
to play an instrument that has strings, using a long, thin piece of wood with hair from the tail of a horse stretched along it:

Examples:

I'm not bowing, but using my fingers pizzicato.
You can achieve a completely different tone by bowing the strings nearer to the bridge.
10
to bend the head or body forward as a way of showing respect, expressing thanks, or greeting someone:

Examples:

[ T ] We knelt and bowed our heads in prayer.
11
the act of bending the head or body forward:

Examples:

The troupe’s artistic director took a bow with his dancers at the final curtain last night.
12
the front part of a ship
13
a knot with two curved parts and two loose ends, which is used as a decoration or to tie shoes
14
a weapon for shooting arrows, often used for sport, made of a long, narrow piece of wood bent into a curve by a string that is stretched tightly between its two ends
15
a long, thin piece of wood with many hairs stretched between its ends, used to play musical instruments that have strings:

Examples:

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