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definitions

bowler

1
[boh-ler]
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bowler ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who bowl, especially a participant in a bowling game, as candlepins or tenpins.
Cricket. the player who throws the ball to be played by the batsman.

RELATED WORDS

helmet, fedora, headgear, lid, straw, bucket, bonnet, sailor, skimmer, millinery, Stetson, Panama, chapeau, boater, sombrero, topper, tam, headpiece

Origin of bowler

1
First recorded in 1490–1500; bowl2 + -er1

bowler

2
[boh-ler]

noun Chiefly British.

derby2(def 5).

Origin of bowler

2
First recorded in 1860–65; bowl1 + -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bowler

Contemporary Examples of bowler

Historical Examples of bowler

  • Bob Pillin, in the fixed chair of the consultor, nursed his bowler on his knee.

    Five Tales

    John Galsworthy

  • “We ought to have three more fellows, at least,” said Bowler.

    Parkhurst Boys

    Talbot Baines Reed

  • He said very little would have tempted him to do it, Bowler.

    Parkhurst Boys

    Talbot Baines Reed

  • Ever since then Bowler has been the idol of the lower school.

    Parkhurst Boys

    Talbot Baines Reed

  • Never thought about that,” said Bowler; “what do you say, Gay?

    Parkhurst Boys

    Talbot Baines Reed

British Dictionary definitions for bowler

bowler

1

noun

one who bowls in cricket
a player at the game of bowls

bowler

2

noun

a stiff felt hat with a rounded crown and narrow curved brimUS and Canadian name: derby

Word Origin for bowler

C19: named after John Bowler, 19th-century London hatter

bowler

3

noun

Dublin dialect a dog

Word Origin for bowler

perhaps from b (ow-wow) + (h) owler
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 bowler
n.1

"hard round hat," 1861, said to be from a J. Bowler, 19c. London hat manufacturer. A John Bowler of Surrey, hat manufacturer, was active from the 1820s to the 1840s, and a William Bowler, hat-manufacturer, of Southwark Bridge Road, Surrey, sought a patent in 1854 for "improvements in hats and other coverings for the head." But perhaps the word is simply from bowl (n.); cf. Old English heafodbolla "brainpan, skull." The earliest usages are with a lower-case b-.

n.2

"player at bowls," c.1500.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper