: a stroke in playing a bowed instrument in which the bow is moved across the strings from the tip to the heel

Examples of up-bow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Pascale accompanies her with deceptively simple down-bows and up-bows, bearing the technical difficulty lightly, as though that’s just the shape and movements her hands happen to take. — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 11 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of up-bow was in 1876

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Cite this Entry

“Up-bow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/up-bow. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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