bowling
Americannoun
-
any of several games in which players standing at one end of an alley or green roll balls at standing objects or toward a mark at the other end, especially a game in which a heavy ball is rolled from one end of a wooden alley at wooden pins set up at the opposite end.
-
the game of bowls; lawn bowling.
-
an act or instance of playing or participating in any such game.
Bowling is a pleasant way to exercise.
noun
-
any of various games in which a heavy ball is rolled down a special alley, usually made of wood, at a group of wooden pins, esp the games of tenpin bowling (tenpins) and skittles (ninepins)
-
the game of bowls
-
cricket the act of delivering the ball to the batsman
-
(modifier) of or relating to bowls or bowling
a bowling team
Etymology
Origin of bowling
Explanation
If you love bowling you're a fan of rolling a ball down a long lane and hoping it will knock down the pins at the end. The ball you roll is called a bowling ball. Bowling classically involves very heavy balls that are rolled down the polished wood of a lane, with open gutters at each side, toward the ten pins arranged at the end. Other versions of bowling have smaller balls, differently shaped pins, and different numbers of pins — but the goal is always to knock as many of them over as possible. The game was originally known as "playing at bowls."
Vocabulary lists containing bowling
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.
Only against leg-break bowling does his average tail off a little, but only to a still respectable 31.31, while he is prolific against the uncommon left-arm unorthodox spin, averaging 48.20.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Perhaps Buttler's greatest strength is his lack of weakness against any particular form of bowling.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
They have plans to build housing behind the bowling alley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Kapp struck with the next delivery, bowling Grace Scrivens, but Paige Scholfield survived the hat-trick ball.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
He once wore a suit when we went bowling.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
