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

Some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Betty Grable, Paul McCartney, and the Osbourne family, have since lived in the property that has a two-lane bowling alley, a billiard and games room, a home movie theater, and an outdoor tennis court. —Joyce Chen, Architectural Digest, 20 Apr. 2026

Aerosmith producer Jack Douglas rescued the group from obscurity after catching Cheap Trick’s act at a bowling alley in Waukesha, Wis. —Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026

One stop west on the Orange Line, near the Pulaski station, land that once held an 80-lane bowling alley is now home to an AutoZone. —Juan Sebastian Arias, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026

According to Walter, her parents met at a Purdue bowling alley while each was on a date with someone else. —Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 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