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 seemingly harmless items, like cordless curling irons and bowling balls, are banned from either carry-on or checked luggage. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026

Before streaming, smartphones, and social media, bowling leagues used to bring people together. — Lee Cowan, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026

Highlights are karaoke contest, grapefruit bowling, wheelbarrow races, flapjack toss contest. — Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026

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

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