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bowing

American  
[boh-ing] / ˈboʊ ɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act or art of playing a stringed instrument with a bow.

  2. the individual way of using the bow in playing a stringed instrument, including the way in which the musician approaches the music emotionally, the articulation of individual notes, and the manner in which the notes of a passage are grouped together.

bowing British  
/ ˈbəʊɪŋ /

noun

  1. the technique of using the bow in playing a violin, viola, cello, or related instrument

"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

Other Word Forms

  • unbowing adjective

Etymology

Origin of bowing

First recorded in 1830–40; bow 2 + -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The sight of Salah scoring - then kneeling down and bowing his head to the floor in an act of prostration that Muslims call Sujood - will never be forgotten.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Podcasts can run forever, but some hosts are bowing out as celebrities and YouTube dominate the industry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

The FDA reversed itself Wednesday, bowing to an appeal by the company, Moderna announced, saying the FDA will now review its application to license the flu shot.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

Raducanu has had a low-key start to the year, bowing out in the quarter-finals of a warm-up tournament in a surprise straight-sets loss to 204th-ranked Taylah Preston.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

“Prince George,” the man said, bowing in a joking way.

From "I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.