bowshot

American

[boh-shot] / ˈboʊˌʃɒt /

noun

the distance a bow sends an arrow.

bowshot British

/ ˈbəʊˌʃɒt /

noun

the distance an arrow travels from the bow

"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

Etymology

Origin of bowshot

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at bow ², shot 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.

He�s a deadly bowshot, and the 20 acres he hunts is crawling with deer.

From Time Magazine Archive

At the distance of a long bowshot from the village, the scene was terrifying.

From "In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse" by Joseph Marshall III

They had escaped the attack Fflewddur expected, but a column of horsemen bearing torches passed within bowshot of them.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

They were within a long bowshot, but the riders did not show themselves against the light, and the Orcs wasted many arrows shooting at the fires, until Uglúk stopped them.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Now they swooped near, venturing almost within bowshot of the walls, now they circled away.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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