bowl over

verb

bowled over; bowling over; bowls over

transitive verb

1

: to take unawares

2

: impress entry 1 sense 1

Examples of bowl over in a Sentence

she was bowled over to learn that she had a long-lost sister

Recent Examples on the Web

After the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills crew — which features Hamlin’s wife Lisa Rinna, 62, — were bowled over by his spaghetti bolognese, an executive approached Hamlin about hosting his own cooking show. —Logan Holland, People.com, 14 July 2025

After the Pacers also took Game 2, the Knicks turned the tables in Game 3 with a similar late fourth-quarter rally from a double-digit deficit that bowled over Indiana 106-100. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 26 May 2025

Pour water to a depth of 1 1/2 to 2 inches in a small saucepan, and place a small stainless steel bowl over saucepan to make a double boiler, making sure water does not touch bottom of bowl. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 24 June 2025

The lads were famously bowled over by an early listen, but the record Wilson poured his time into wasn’t an immediate critical or chart success back at home. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 12 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bowl over

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover

Kids Definition

bowl over

verb

1

: to hit and knock down while quickly moving past

2

: to greatly surprise or impress