bow tie

American  

[boh] / boʊ /

noun

1. a small necktie tied in a bow at the collar.

2. a sweet roll or Danish pastry having a shape similar to that of a bow tie or butterfly.

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bow tie British  

/ bəʊ /

noun

1. a man's tie tied in a bow, now chiefly in plain black for formal evening wear

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Etymology

Origin of bow tie

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

No less than the staid bow tie baseball chronicler Ken Rosenthal described the Red Sox under Henry as “incoherent, dysfunctional and forever poised to overreact.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Bad Bunny went for a classic tux and bow tie.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026

Last year, a pink-and-green striped bow tie he wore when introducing the Macintosh computer in 1984 sold for more than $35,000 at a Julien’s Auctions event that highlighted technology and history.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2026

Dressed in a red bow tie and holding a poster reading "I want to get married", Bazhanov caught the eye of the longtime ruler and got his chance.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

He had on a fresh dicky and collar and a carefully tied bow tie.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith