bow

[ bou ]

/ baʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bow ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to bend the knee or body or incline the head, as in reverence, submission, salutation, recognition, or acknowledgment.

to yield; submit: to bow to the inevitable.

to bend or curve downward; stoop: the pines bowed low.

verb (used with object)

to bend or incline (the knee, body, or head) in worship, submission, respect, civility, agreement, etc.: He bowed his head to the crowd.

to cause to submit; subdue; crush.

to cause to stoop or incline: Age had bowed his head.

to express by a bow: to bow one's thanks.

to usher (someone) with a bow (usually followed by in, out, etc.): They were bowed in by the footman.

to cause to bend; make curved or crooked.

noun

an inclination of the head or body in salutation, assent, thanks, reverence, respect, submission, etc.

Verb Phrases

bow out, to resign a position or withdraw from a job, competition, obligation, etc.: He bowed out after two terms as governor.

RELATED WORDS

quit, retire, withdraw, exit, leave

Nearby words

bovinely, bovinity, bovril, bovver, bovver boots, bow, bow and scrape, bow back, bow bells, bow collector, bow compass

Idioms

bow and scrape, to be excessively polite or deferential.

make one's bow, to appear publicly for the first time, as a performer, politician, etc.: The young pianist made her bow last night to an appreciative audience.

take a bow, to step forward or stand up in order to receive recognition, applause, etc.: The conductor had the soloists take a bow.

Origin of bow

before 900; Middle English bowen (v.), Old English būgan; cognate with Dutch buigen; akin to German biegen, Gothic biugan, Old Norse buga, etc.

SYNONYMS FOR bow

2 surrender, accede, defer, acquiesce, comply, capitulate.

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Related formsbowed·ness, nounbow·ing·ly, adverb

Can be confusedbough bow

Synonym study

1. See bend¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for bow out (1 of 5)

bow out

/ (baʊ) /

verb

(adverb; usually tr often foll by of) to retire or withdraw gracefully

British Dictionary definitions for bow out (2 of 5)

bow

/ (baʊ) /

verb

to lower (one's head) or bend (one's knee or body) as a sign of respect, greeting, assent, or shame

to bend or cause to bend; incline downwards

(intr ; usually foll by to or before) to comply or acceptbow to the inevitable

(tr ; foll by in, out, to etc) to usher (someone) into or out of a place with bows and deferencethe manager bowed us to our car

(tr; usually foll by down) to bring (a person, nation, etc) to a state of submission

bow and scrape to behave in an excessively deferential or obsequious way

noun

a lowering or inclination of the head or body as a mark of respect, greeting, or assent

take a bow to acknowledge or receive applause or praise

Word Origin for bow

Old English būgan, related to Old Norse bjūgr bent, Old High German biogan to bend, Dutch buigen

British Dictionary definitions for bow out (3 of 5)

bow

/ (bəʊ) /

noun

a weapon for shooting arrows, consisting of an arch of flexible wood, plastic, metal, etc bent by a string (bowstring) fastened at each endSee also crossbow

a long slightly curved stick across which are stretched strands of horsehair, used for playing the strings of a violin, viola, cello, or related instrument
a stroke with such a stick

a decorative interlacing of ribbon or other fabrics, usually having two loops and two loose ends
the knot forming such an interlacing; bowknot

something that is curved, bent, or arched
(in combination)rainbow; oxbow; saddlebow

a person who uses a bow and arrow; archer

a frame of a pair of spectacles
a sidepiece of the frame of a pair of spectacles that curls round behind the ear

a metal ring forming the handle of a pair of scissors or of a large old-fashioned key

architect part of a building curved in the form of a bowSee also bow window

verb

to form or cause to form a curve or curves

to make strokes of a bow across (violin strings)

Word Origin for bow

Old English boga arch, bow; related to Old Norse bogi a bow, Old High German bogo, Old Irish bocc, and bow 1

British Dictionary definitions for bow out (4 of 5)

bow

/ (baʊ) /

noun

mainly nautical

(often plural) the forward end or part of a vessel
(as modifier)the bow mooring line

rowing short for bowman 2

on the port bow nautical within 45 degrees to the port of straight ahead

on the starboard bow nautical within 45 degrees to the starboard of straight ahead

a shot across someone's bows informal a warning

Word Origin for bow

C15: probably from Low German boog; related to Dutch boeg, Danish bov ship's bow, shoulder; see bough

British Dictionary definitions for bow out (5 of 5)

Bow

/ (bəʊ) /

noun

Clara, known as the It Girl . 1905–65, US film actress, noted for her vivacity and sex appeal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bow out (1 of 3)

bow

Old English bugan "to bend, to bow down, to bend the body in condescension," also "to turn back" (class II strong verb; past tense beag, past participle bogen), from Proto-Germanic *bugon (cf. Dutch buigen, Middle Low German bugen, Old High German biogan, German biegen, Gothic biugan "to bend," Old Norse boginn "bent"), from *beugen, from PIE root *bheug- (3) "to bend," with derivatives referring to bent, pliable, or curved objects (cf. Sanskrit bhujati "bends, thrusts aside;" Old High German boug, Old English beag "a ring"). The noun in this sense is first recorded 1650s. Related: Bowed; bowing. Bow out "withdraw" is from 1942.

Word Origin and History for bow out (1 of 3)

bow

n.1

weapon for shooting arrows, Old English boga "archery bow, arch, rainbow," from Proto-Germanic *bugon (cf. Old Norse bogi, Old Frisian boga, Dutch boog, German Bogen "bow;" see bow (v.)). The sense of "a looped knot" is from 1540s. The musician's bow (1570s) formerly was curved like the archer's. Bowlegged is attested from 1550s.

Word Origin and History for bow out (2 of 3)

bow

n.2

"front of a ship," mid-14c., from Old Norse bogr or Middle Dutch boech "bow of a ship," literally "shoulder (of an animal)," the connecting notion being "the shoulders of the ship." See bough.

Idioms and Phrases with bow out (1 of 2)

bow out

Depart, withdraw, resign, as in After five years as chairman, I felt it was time I bowed out, or We'll have to beat them; they'll never bow out. [First half of 1900s]

Idioms and Phrases with bow out (2 of 2)

bow

In addition to the idioms beginning with bow

bow and scrape
bowl of cherries, life is just a
bowl over
bow out

also see:

take a bow
two strings to one's bow

bow

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of bow

Synonym study

British Dictionary definitions for bow out (1 of 5)

bow out

verb

British Dictionary definitions for bow out (2 of 5)

bow

verb

noun

Word Origin for bow

British Dictionary definitions for bow out (3 of 5)

bow

noun

verb

Word Origin for bow

British Dictionary definitions for bow out (4 of 5)

bow

noun

Word Origin for bow

British Dictionary definitions for bow out (5 of 5)

Bow

noun

Word Origin and History for bow out (1 of 3)

bow

Word Origin and History for bow out (1 of 3)

bow

Word Origin and History for bow out (2 of 3)

bow

Idioms and Phrases with bow out (1 of 2)

bow out

Idioms and Phrases with bow out (2 of 2)

bow