bowling

American  

[boh-ling] / ˈboʊ lɪŋ /

noun

1. any of several games in which players standing at one end of an alley or green roll balls at standing objects or toward a mark at the other end, especially a game in which a heavy ball is rolled from one end of a wooden alley at wooden pins set up at the opposite end.

2. the game of bowls; lawn bowling.

3. an act or instance of playing or participating in any such game.

   Bowling is a pleasant way to exercise.

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bowling British  

/ ˈbəʊlɪŋ /

noun

1. any of various games in which a heavy ball is rolled down a special alley, usually made of wood, at a group of wooden pins, esp the games of tenpin bowling (tenpins) and skittles (ninepins)

2. the game of bowls

3. cricket the act of delivering the ball to the batsman

4. (modifier) of or relating to bowls or bowling

   a bowling team

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Etymology

Origin of bowling

First recorded in 1525–35; bowl ² + -ing ¹

Explanation

If you love bowling you're a fan of rolling a ball down a long lane and hoping it will knock down the pins at the end. The ball you roll is called a bowling ball. Bowling classically involves very heavy balls that are rolled down the polished wood of a lane, with open gutters at each side, toward the ten pins arranged at the end. Other versions of bowling have smaller balls, differently shaped pins, and different numbers of pins — but the goal is always to knock as many of them over as possible. The game was originally known as "playing at bowls."

Example Sentences

Bowling the second over of the innings, Robinson found movement down the Lord's slope, into left-hander Conway.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

People 50 or older now make up nearly 40% of the divorcing population, up from just 8% in 1990, according to research from Bowling Green State University.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Bowling four overs on the spin, he pitched 91% of his deliveries on the stumps or in the channel - the highest of any England match of his career.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

It happened in late October when Travis Robertson, an offensive tackle from West Bloomfield, Mich., flipped his commitment from Bowling Green to UCLA.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

Herold rode into the nearby town of Bowling Green with the Confederates to purchase, of all things, a new pair of shoes.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson