bowling

1 of 2

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

bowling

2 of 2

present participle of bowl entry 3

Examples of bowling in a Sentence

Noun

She watches bowling on TV.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Renshaw also began a second bowling stint and Verreynne tried to cut him but gave Steve Smith a slips catch and Renshaw his second wicket of the innings, and of his career. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026

Architectural historians describe Googie style as a bold strain of Mid-Century Modernism, notable for big neon signs and swooping roofs, especially popular among restaurants, bowling alleys and car washes, now increasingly rare. — Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Since the 1960s, bowling as a business has fallen, with the number of bowling centers in the United States declining by roughly 75% from a peak of about 12,000 to some 3,000. — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026

Cue revisits of classic shapes such as bowling shoes, ballet flats, mules and T-straps with his now signature curvaceous toe box. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

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