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Meaning & use

bowing

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈbaʊɪŋ/
US/ˈbaʊɪŋ/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    The act of bending the upper body forward, or lowering the head, to show respect, thanks or greeting.

    Grammar: Usually used without an or an: bowing is customary here.

    Patterns

    • bowing to someone
    • bowing and scraping

    Bowing is a normal greeting in many parts of East Asia.

    The bowing of the actors signaled the end of the show.

    There was much bowing between the two hosts at the door.

  2. noununcountablemusic

    The way a player moves the bow across the strings of an instrument, including the direction and style of strokes.

    Grammar: Often described as a skill: her bowing is smooth.

    Patterns

    • the bowing of something

    Her bowing was so smooth that the notes seemed to float.

    The teacher marked the bowing in the violin part.

    Good bowing takes years of practice.

  3. noununcountablefigurative

    The act of giving in to pressure, or accepting that one must obey or yield.

    Grammar: Usually figurative and followed by to: bowing to pressure.

    Patterns

    • bowing to something

    The bowing to public pressure surprised critics.

    Their bowing to every demand weakened the team.

    The company's bowing to the regulators ended the dispute.

Common combinations

deep bowing
Deep bowing is a sign of great respect.
bowing to pressure
Bowing to pressure, the mayor reversed her decision.
bowing technique
The class focused on bowing technique for cellists.
bowing and scraping
I hate the bowing and scraping that goes on around the boss.
a bowing arm
A relaxed bowing arm gives a better tone.

Synonyms and how they differ

curtsy
A curtsy is a bend of the knees, traditionally by women, whereas bowing bends the body or head.
obeisance
Obeisance is a formal, literary word for deep respect shown by a gesture, stronger than ordinary bowing.
nod
A nod is a small movement of the head only, which is far less formal than bowing.

Word family

bow verb
to bend forward in respect
bowed adjective
bent or curved
bower noun
a bowing string player in some contexts
bowman noun
a person who uses a bow and arrow

Commonly confused: bowing or boughing? bowing or bowling?

bowing vs boughing

Not a normal word; bough is a tree branch and has a different sound from bowing in the sense of bending.

bowing vs bowling

Bowling is the game with pins and a ball, and it differs by one letter from bowing.

Practice

Which sentence uses bowing in the musical sense?

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