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

Officials said improvements to the bowling alley were completed last year and that the venue has welcomed guests for more than a year since reopening. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Later, his father and uncle would initiate him into the masculine play worlds of Albany’s bars, poolrooms, and bowling alleys. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

The 50,000 square-foot spot, which offered arcade games, bumper cars, go karts, laser tag bowling, an indoor coaster and more, took customers for their final ride on Sunday. — Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026

Those were the second-best bowling figures for Pakistan at the famed venue after Yasir Shah's 10-141 in 2016. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 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