Synonyms

bowl over

British

verb

informal to surprise (a person) greatly, esp in a pleasant way; astound; amaze

he was bowled over by our gift
to knock (a person or thing) down; cause to fall over

"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

bowl over Idioms

Astonish, surprise greatly, overwhelm, as in I was simply bowled over by their wonderful performance. This term originated in cricket, where it means “to knock all the bails off the wicket.” [Mid-1800s]

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.

It offered orange seats from the lower bowl for sale, and plans to do the same with the yellow and burgundy seats from the upper bowl over the next year.

From Washington Post • Dec. 23, 2022

Set the bowl over the saucepan and melt the chocolate, gently stirring with a whisk now and then.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 10, 2022

Once you see steam emerging from the Instant Pot, place a mixing bowl over the Instant Pot, then add chocolate.

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2021

"Jimmy has the ability to bowl over the wicket and swing the ball both ways," 32-year-old Finn, who played 36 Tests, explained.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2021

Instead she brought the bowl over to him.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

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