bow tie

American  

[boh] / boʊ /

noun

• bow ties
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bow ties
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bow tie

First recorded in 1910–15

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bow tie

The only thing missing, really, was my nervous waiter in the bow tie.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

"I learned to tie a bow tie by watching a tutorial on YouTube," says Crawford.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

I know that sounds super baseball pretentious, like I should be wearing a straw hat and a bow tie, but I don’t care.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

And veteran director Spike Lee brought a splash of color to his ensemble of muted neutrals with a bright purple hat and bow tie.

From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026

The stranger, a young man wearing a black suit, white shirt, and bow tie, set his briefcase on the bar and asked Shady for a glass of water.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

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