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bowl2

Syllabification: (bowl)
Pronunciation: /bōl/

Translate bowl | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of bowl

noun

  • a ball made slightly asymmetrical so that it runs on a curved course, used in the game of lawn bowling.

verb

  • 1 [with object] roll (a ball or hoop) along the ground:she snatched her hat off and bowled it ahead of her like a hoop
  • 2 [no object] play the game of bowling:I usually bowl Tuesday nights
  • achieve (a certain score) in tenpin bowling:she bowled a 162 high game
  • 3 [with object] Cricket (of a bowler) propel (the ball) with a straight arm towards the batsman, typically in such a way that the ball bounces once:Lillee bowled another bouncer [no object]:Sobers bowled to Willis
  • (also bowl someone out) dismiss (a batsman) by knocking down the wicket with the ball that one has bowled:Stewart was bowled for 33 in the one-day international
  • 4 [no object] move rapidly and smoothly in a specified direction:they bowled along the country roads

Phrasal Verbs

bowl someone over

knock someone down.
informal completely overwhelm or astonish someone, for example by one’s good qualities or looks:when he met Angela, he was just bowled over by her

Origin:

late Middle English (in the general sense 'ball'): from Old French boule, from Latin bulla 'bubble'

bowl in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of bowl in the British & World English dictionary

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