bow | meaning of bow in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2024)

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbowbow1 /baʊ/ ●●○ verb 1 [intransitive]BEND to bend the top part of your body forward in order to show respect for someone important, or as a way of thanking an audience She bowed and left the stage. Corbett entered the room, bowing respectfully. The servant bowed low and handed his master the sealed note.bow before/to He bowed before the king.2 → bow your head3 [intransitive, transitive]BEND to bend your body over something, especially in order to see it more closelybow over Teague sat at his desk, bowed over a book. 4 BEND[intransitive, transitive] to bend, or to make something bend The trees bowed in the wind. His back was bowed under the weight of the heavy bag.5 → bow and scrape → bow down → bow out → bow to somebody/something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpusbow• Archer bowed and left the stage.• They bowed and waited for the mayor to speak first.• All the men turned and bowed as the Emperor passed.• The women and children now catch up their master, and each group in turn bows down before Esau.• But another clone wannabe bowed out of the game Tuesday.• Willie turned to face the fire, his head bowed over the range.• When he made his rounds on a light-gray donkey, people bowed their heads and dared not look at his face.• I sighed and bowed to the inevitable.• The Prime Minister, however, was simply bowing to the inevitable. bow before/to• But more than 60 countries, and perhaps 15m golfers, bow to the R&A's authority.• Then, turning back, he made a final bow to the row of tiny images.• They were just three wires joined at the ends, with only the slightest bow to them.• The boats leaned, a kind of bow to your partner.bow over• Dr. Harris is usually in the lab, bowed over a microscope.Related topics: Waterbowbow2 /baʊ/ ●●○ noun 1 BEND[countable] the act of bending the top part of your body forward to show respect for someone when you meet them, or as a way of thanking an audiencetake/give a bow (=bow to the audience at the end of a performance) The music ended and the girl took a bow. He gave a final bow just as the curtains came down. This is done with a formal bow to the king or queen. 2 (also bows [plural]) [countable]TTW the front part of a ship → stern, yachtExamples from the Corpusbow• She had a red bow in her hair.formal bow• Before entering it, a student must make a formal bow at the doorway as a mark of respect.• This is done with a formal bow.• The students then stoop to sit on their heels and issue another formal bow before standing and beginning the lesson. Related topics: Weapons, , Musicbowbow3 /bəʊ/ noun [countable] 1 PMWa weapon used for shooting arrows, made of a long thin piece of wood held in a curve by a tight string a bow and arrow2 DCa knot of cloth or string, with a curved part on either side and two loose ends, worn in the hair as decoration or for tying shoelaces Ella wore a bow in her hair.in a bow long chestnut hair tied back in a bow 3 APMa long thin piece of wood with a tight string fastened along it, used to play musical instruments such as the violin or cello → have more than one string to your bowExamples from the Corpusbow• An ivory quiver hung upon her left shoulder and in her hand was a bow.• That night, another of my presents was a bow tie.• We learn bow to learn, how to find out, what the general concepts are.• He tucked his letter inside the pink bow.• Her blonde hair was pulled back into a smooth chignon and tied with a yellow silk bow.bow and arrow• Then Herb, Junior, had taken his bow and arrow and wounded one of the beasts in the hindquarters.in a bow• I tried to interest him in bow ties.• A fat man in a bow tie tapped the register.• Can you tie them in a knot, can you tie them in a bow.Related topics: Musicbowbow4 /bəʊ/ verb [intransitive, transitive]APM to play a piece of music on a musical instrument with a bow3→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpusbow• He took his had off and bowed slightly.• When he made his rounds on a light-gray donkey, people bowed their heads and dared not look at his face.