Synonyms of bowing

bowing 1 of 3

adjective

as in nodding

bending downward or forward

the bowing blossoms indicated that the petunia plant desperately needed water

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nodding
• bowed
• weeping
• falling
• descending
• hanging
• dangling
• declined
• sagging
• hung
• declining
• stooping
• drooping
• inclining
• floppy
• descendant
• pendulous
• sinking
• droopy
• suspended
• dipping
• limp
• pendent
• slumping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• upright
• rigid
• erect
• stiff
• unbending
• inflexible
• elevated
• raised
• upraised

bowing

2 of 3

verb (1)

present participle of bow

1

as in succumbing

to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control)

finally bowed to the judge's insistence that she change her outfit

Synonyms & Similar Words

• succumbing
• submitting
• conceding
• surrendering
• capitulating
• relenting
• yielding
• budging
• blinking
• acquiescing
• giving in
• quitting
• throwing in the towel
• knuckling under
• deferring
• saying uncle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• resisting
• fighting
• facing
• contending
• opposing
• confronting
• objecting
• meeting
• defying
• combating
• countering
• battling
• repelling
• withstanding
• holding off
• thwarting
• breasting

2

as in submitting

to give up and cease resistance (as to a liking, temptation, or habit)

bowed to the craving for fresh coffee

Synonyms & Similar Words

• succumbing
• submitting
• yielding
• surrendering
• giving in
• caving (in)
• gratifying
• indulging
• catering (to)
• wallowing
• conceding (to)
• buckling (under)
• acquiescing (to)
• knuckling under
• giving over (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• resisting
• facing
• opposing
• fighting
• confronting
• objecting
• meeting
• defying
• combating
• countering
• battling
• withstanding
• repelling
• rejecting
• thwarting
• holding off
• checking
• breasting
• restraining
• curbing
• inhibiting
• constraining
• stifling
• bridling

bowing

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of bow

1

as in curving

to turn away from a straight line or course

the river bows gently to the north before it reaches the sea

Synonyms & Similar Words

• curving
• bending
• arching
• sweeping
• rounding
• turning
• arcing
• falling off
• winding
• swerving
• crooking
• trending
• circling
• curling
• hooking
• looping
• wheeling
• spiraling
• coiling
• twisting
• deviating
• veering
• curlicuing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straightening

2

as in bending

to cause to turn away from a straight line

you'll have to gently bow the strip of wood in order to fit it in

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bending
• arching
• hooking
• curving
• twisting
• curling
• crooking
• turning
• waving
• swerving
• deflecting
• reflecting
• rounding
• veering
• swirling
• inflecting
• arcing
• weaving
• diverting
• incurving
• coiling
• looping
• spiraling
• warping
• twining
• kinking
• denting
• inclining
• sloping
• entwining
• winding
• dimpling
• enrolling
• meandering
• incurvating
• declining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straightening
• unbending
• uncurling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bowing

Verb

And there was certainly no sign any of the gubernatorial candidates plan to give up, bowing to concerns their large number could divide the Democratic vote and allow a pair of Republicans to slip through and emerge from California’s top-two primary. —Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026

For its inaugural issue bowing in Saturday, the magazine tapped Naomi Campbell as cover star. —Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 14 Feb. 2026

Any vulnerable Republicans who does not vote in favor of tariff repeals will be hammered for bowing to Trump on an unpopular policy. —Emily Brooks, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2026

Grow a backbone, quit bowing down. —Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026

Young Americans, often skeptical of institutions at home, seem surprisingly comfortable with Japan’s dense web of social expectations, from bowing to sorting trash into multiple categories. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton finalized an agreement with House Republicans Tuesday to testify in a House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein this month, bowing to the threat of a contempt of Congress vote against them. —Stephen Groves, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026

The company also has Citadel star Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ actioner The Bluff bowing on the Amazon platform next month. —Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026

Heated Rivalry also makes a splash on the latest Top TV Songs list, bowing with three tunes in the top six. —Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 23 Jan. 2026