take a bow
idiom
: to bow towards an audience that is applauding
When the play has finished, the actors will line up to take a bow.
—often used figuratively to say that someone deserves to be praisedThe people who organized the festival should take a bow for its remarkable success.
Examples of take a bow in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bryan Cranston and Marianne Jean-Baptiste take a bow onstage after performing their new play All My Sons at London's West End during press night on Nov. 21.
—
Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025
At the end of the song, Swift thanked the crowd and watched her fellow-performers take a bow.
—Joe Garcia, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
On Thursday, Mark Thomas will take a bow for the first time as Carven’s design director.
—Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025
As usual, our picks of likely highlights do not include shows that area already sold out — so take a bow, Laufey, Doechii, Jackson Browne, Sigur Ros, Jason Mraz, Benson Boone, Conan Gray, Reverend Horton Heat and The Teskey Brothers, AFI, Stereolab, Zakk Sabbath, Mirador, and a dozen or so more.
—Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take a bow
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025
At the end of the song, Swift thanked the crowd and watched her fellow-performers take a bow.
—Joe Garcia, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
On Thursday, Mark Thomas will take a bow for the first time as Carven’s design director.
—Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025
As usual, our picks of likely highlights do not include shows that area already sold out — so take a bow, Laufey, Doechii, Jackson Browne, Sigur Ros, Jason Mraz, Benson Boone, Conan Gray, Reverend Horton Heat and The Teskey Brothers, AFI, Stereolab, Zakk Sabbath, Mirador, and a dozen or so more.
—Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take a bow
Cite this Entry
“Take a bow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20a%20bow. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share