plural bowls
1
: a concave usually nearly hemispherical vessel : a rounded container that is usually larger than a cup
a soup bowl
a set of mixing bowls
specifically
: a drinking vessel (as for wine)
2
: the contents of a bowl
ate a bowl of rice
3
: a bowl-shaped or concave part: such as
a
: the hollow of a spoon or tobacco pipe
b
: the receptacle of a toilet
cleaning toilet bowls
4
a
: a natural formation or geographical region shaped like a bowl
b
: a bowl-shaped structure
especially
: an athletic stadium
5
football
: a postseason game between specially invited teams
college bowl games
plural bowls
1
a
: a ball that is used in lawn bowling and that is shaped with a bias (see bias entry 1 sense 3a) so that it swerves when rolled
Note: Bowls were formerly made of lignum vitae with weights added to produce a bias, but are now composed of hard, dense plastic.
b
2
: a delivery of the ball in the game of bowling
3
: a cylindrical roller or drum (as for a machine)
bowled; bowling; bowls
1
2
: to travel smoothly and rapidly (as in a wheeled vehicle)
1
a
: to roll (a ball) in bowling
b(1)
: to complete by bowling
bowl a spare
(2)
: to score by bowling
bowls 150
2
: to strike with a swiftly moving object
being bowled over by a base runner
Synonyms
Examples of bowl in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a new bowl for the football team
Verb
I don't think I can bowl a 12-pound ball.
We bowl every Thursday night.
Do you like to bowl?
I haven't bowled since I was a kid.
She usually bowls around 150.
Recent Examples on the Web
Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 23 May 2024
Acai bowls include a Cacao Energy with maca root (aka Peruvian ginseng); gluten-free granola, banana and cacao nibs and custard; and a Cold Brew Crave with coffee, coconut, macadamia nuts and strawberry.
—John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 21 May 2024
Squeeze cloves from bulb into a small bowl, mash with a fork, and stir into dressing.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 May 2024
Then, after emptying condiments into a bowl, workers would massage the ingredients together, elbows deep in mustard and cabbage.
—Emily Cochrane Audra Melton, New York Times, 18 May 2024
Instead, opt for a bottle warmer or place a bottle in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 16 May 2024
Scrape into a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 days to let the flavors marry.
—Alexis Steinman, Saveur, 16 May 2024
The city looks like modern-day Manhattan, except that men sport bowl cuts and women wear see-through robes, made either of gauze or an innovative, all-purpose building material called Megalon, discovered by Catilina and central to his scheme to revamp the city.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 May 2024
The technology, internally called Infinite Kitchen, can shoot greens, beans, and other toppings into customers’ bowls.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 13 May 2024
Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 11 May 2024
Last season, Conference USA sent four teams to bowl games.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 10 May 2024
Wares range from household goods to fashion and foodstuffs and are sourced from long-standing businesses around Japan’s 47 prefectures, such as nostalgia-inducing enamel coffee kettles from Tochigi, urushi lacquer bowls from Ishikawa and stationery made from washi paper in Toyama.
—Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2024
Dave & Buster’s, which started in 1982, has more than 222 venues in North America, offering everything from bowling to laser tag, plus virtual reality.
—Noah Osborne, NBC News, 30 Apr. 2024
Pecking order: After the New Year’s Six slots are filled, the Holiday Bowl gets the third pick after the Alamo and Las Vegas bowls in the Pac-12 (note that in even years, the Holiday picks after the Alamo Bowl and before the Las Vegas Bowl).
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023
Jonas was joined by his brothers Nick, 31, and Kevin, 36, for the outing, marking their second game of lawn bowling at the venue in the past week.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
Benedicts, hearty skillet bowls with eggs and crispy breakfast potatoes, and steak-and-eggs recall classic diner fare with a more fashionable presentation.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2024
Boys bowling Oak Hills 2904, West Clermont 2897 Leaders: Iles (OH) 503, Goewey (WC) 491.
—Alex Harrison, The Enquirer, 23 Jan. 2024
Noun
Specials such as poke bowls or bay scallop ceviche are created within those cozy confines.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 23 May 2024
Acai bowls include a Cacao Energy with maca root (aka Peruvian ginseng); gluten-free granola, banana and cacao nibs and custard; and a Cold Brew Crave with coffee, coconut, macadamia nuts and strawberry.
—John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 21 May 2024
Squeeze cloves from bulb into a small bowl, mash with a fork, and stir into dressing.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 May 2024
Then, after emptying condiments into a bowl, workers would massage the ingredients together, elbows deep in mustard and cabbage.
—Emily Cochrane Audra Melton, New York Times, 18 May 2024
Instead, opt for a bottle warmer or place a bottle in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 16 May 2024
Scrape into a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 days to let the flavors marry.
—Alexis Steinman, Saveur, 16 May 2024
The city looks like modern-day Manhattan, except that men sport bowl cuts and women wear see-through robes, made either of gauze or an innovative, all-purpose building material called Megalon, discovered by Catilina and central to his scheme to revamp the city.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 May 2024
The technology, internally called Infinite Kitchen, can shoot greens, beans, and other toppings into customers’ bowls.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 13 May 2024
Verb
Add leaf lettuce, endives and apple slices to bowl with radicchio; drizzle with ⅓ cup of the dressing; toss to coat evenly.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 11 May 2024
Last season, Conference USA sent four teams to bowl games.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 10 May 2024
Wares range from household goods to fashion and foodstuffs and are sourced from long-standing businesses around Japan’s 47 prefectures, such as nostalgia-inducing enamel coffee kettles from Tochigi, urushi lacquer bowls from Ishikawa and stationery made from washi paper in Toyama.
—Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2024
Dave & Buster’s, which started in 1982, has more than 222 venues in North America, offering everything from bowling to laser tag, plus virtual reality.
—Noah Osborne, NBC News, 30 Apr. 2024
Pecking order: After the New Year’s Six slots are filled, the Holiday Bowl gets the third pick after the Alamo and Las Vegas bowls in the Pac-12 (note that in even years, the Holiday picks after the Alamo Bowl and before the Las Vegas Bowl).
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023
Jonas was joined by his brothers Nick, 31, and Kevin, 36, for the outing, marking their second game of lawn bowling at the venue in the past week.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
Benedicts, hearty skillet bowls with eggs and crispy breakfast potatoes, and steak-and-eggs recall classic diner fare with a more fashionable presentation.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2024
Boys bowling Oak Hills 2904, West Clermont 2897 Leaders: Iles (OH) 503, Goewey (WC) 491.
—Alex Harrison, The Enquirer, 23 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bowl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bowl
Cite this Entry
“Bowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bowl. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bowl
1 of 3 noun1
: a rounded dish generally deeper than a basin and larger than a cup
2
: the contents of a bowl
3
: the bowl-shaped part of something (as a spoon)
4
a
: a rounded valley or geographical region
the dust bowl
b
: a bowl-shaped stadium or theater
5
bowl
2 of 3 noun1
a
: a ball shaped to roll in a curved path for use in lawn bowling
b
plural
: lawn bowling
2
: a cast of the ball in bowling or bowls
bowl
3 of 3 verb1
: to roll a ball in bowling or bowls
2
: to move smoothly and rapidly
Etymology
Noun
Old English bolla "bowl"
Noun
Middle English boule "a weighted ball," from early French boule (same meaning), from Latin bulla "bubble" — related to boil entry 2
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