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

Explanation

An arrow is a pointed weapon that's shot with a bow. If you enjoy archery, you like to shoot arrows at a target. A bow consists of a piece of wood, metal, or plastic that has a flexible string connected to each end, and an arrow is the smaller, sharp-ended projectile that's held as the string is stretched back. When the string is released, the arrow flies. The Old English source of arrow is earh, which most likely comes from an Old Norse root.

Example Sentences

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

“He would hurl himself straight as an arrow right into the great roaring grey wall of an oncoming breaker and go clean through it as if it had neither weight nor momentum.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

It is understood the dart frog referred to by the UK Foreign Office and others was Anthony's poison arrow frog, a species endemic to Ecuador and Peru.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

Scientists have detected traces of plant-based poison on Stone Age arrowheads from South Africa, marking the oldest confirmed use of arrow poison ever identified.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026

Frantic, I hit the back arrow at the top of the touch screen and scroll down to our thread of messages.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Related Words

• cursor
• dart
• missile
• projectile