bowling

noun

bowl·​ing ˈbō-liŋ 

: any of several games in which balls are rolled (as on a green or down an alley) at an object or group of objects

Examples of bowling in a Sentence

She watches bowling on TV.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the fireplace’s dark mouth sat a small black iron, heavy as a bowling ball, impossibly heavy. — Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026

Guests can take advantage of a range of indoor and outdoor amenities, including a fitness center, bowling alley, movie theater, heated swimming pool and tennis and basketball courts. — ABC News, 31 July 2026

Its proximity to Pinhouse, a bowling bar just next door, was a major draw. — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026

On my right were the usual family houses—one to two stories, one after the other—and then tucked between two houses was a bowling alley. — Ethan Brooks, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bowling

• bowling alley
• bowling green
• lawn bowling
• tenpin bowling

Rhymes for bowling

• coaling
• doling
• growling
• holing
• poling
• polling
• rolling
• scrolling
• shoaling
• strolling
• tolling
• trolling

Kids Definition

bowling

noun

bowl·​ing ˈbō-liŋ 

1

: a game played by rolling balls so as to knock down pins set up at the far end of an alley

2

: lawn bowling