arrow

¹ American  

[ar-oh] / ˈær oʊ /

noun

1. a slender, straight, generally pointed missile or weapon made to be shot from a bow and equipped with feathers at the end of the shaft near the nock, for controlling flight.

2. anything resembling an arrow in form, function, or character.

3. a linear figure having a wedge-shaped end, as one used on a map or architectural drawing, to indicate direction or placement.

4. Astronomy. Arrow, the constellation Sagitta.

5. broad arrow.

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verb (used with object)

1. to indicate the proper position of (an insertion) by means of an arrow (often followed byin ).

   to arrow in a comment between the paragraphs.

Arrow ² American  

[ar-oh] / ˈær oʊ /

noun

1. Kenneth Joseph, 1921–2017, U.S. economist: Nobel Prize 1972.

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arrow British  

/ ˈærəʊ /

noun

1. a long slender pointed weapon, usually having feathers fastened at the end as a balance, that is shot from a bow

2. any of various things that resemble an arrow in shape, function, or speed, such as a sign indicating direction or position

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Other Word Forms

• arrowless adjective
• arrowlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of arrow

First recorded before 900; Middle English arewe, arwe, Old English earh; cognate with Old Norse ǫr (plural ǫrvar ), Gothic arhwazna; unattested Germanic arhwō (feminine), akin to Latin arcus (genitive arcūs ) “bow, arc”; thus unattested Latin arku- “bow,” and unattested pre-Germanic arku-ā “belonging to the bow”; arc

Example Sentences

Samson's deftness to use the crease to arrow square drives through backward point were particularly eye-catching.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

Now, “the arrow of causality has flipped” on the view that “AI is killing the jobs first, and that’s what’s making the economy sick.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

Spin can be pictured as a small arrow showing the direction of an atom's magnetic field.

From Science Daily • Jan. 12, 2026

The first sign of it was on page 23 of the brochure for the 1989 Ford Thunderbird, which revealed a subtle feature on the car’s instrument panel: a white arrow.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026

At the princess’s command, the broom leapt into the air just above the first few children that lunged at them, then shot forward like an arrow, straight at the monsters blocking the doorway.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

Related Words

• cursor
• dart
• missile
• projectile