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.

See Examples For:

bowl over

A knee injury has severely limited Stokes' ability to bowl over the last few years so to see him run in unencumbered in his fourth spell of the day would have delighted Brendon McCullum.

From BBC ● May 17, 2024

Place mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 2, 2023

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

Texas A&M could still win the SEC West if it wins out and Alabama loses, but it is most likely playing for a second straight New Year’s Six bowl over the next month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 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