as in nodding
bending downward or forward
the bowing blossoms indicated that the petunia plant desperately needed water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of bowing
Steve Gorman, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Following her latest pic Christy bowing at AFI Fest last week, Sydney Sweeney is looking to deliver another knockout punch with an upcoming film, and partnering with an A-list director to help deliver the blow.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Before takeoff, Graham joined staff and flight crew on the tarmac, bowing in prayer beside the towering white jet that marks a new chapter in the relief group’s aviation fleet.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Spotify is bowing its first-ever FAST channel on Samsung TV Plus stocked with video podcasts from Bill Simmons’ The Ringer.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
He will be killed by his brother, the angel Ejllael (Steve Noh), for bowing to a human.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Though Jimmy Kimmel is now back on the air, the Directors Guild of America isn’t acting like this instance of a Hollywood corporation apparently bowing to political pressure will be a one-off.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
However, the second time around, people are noting that there’s actually no official rule about curtsying or bowing when meeting members of the British royal family.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2025
In the new iterations bowing this week, the term is repeated three times, as is customary with Enriquez’s fashion.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
In Indiana, Republican Governor Mike Braun called a special legislative session for next Monday to weigh redistricting proposals in his state, bowing to a White House pressure campaign.
—Steve Gorman, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Following her latest pic Christy bowing at AFI Fest last week, Sydney Sweeney is looking to deliver another knockout punch with an upcoming film, and partnering with an A-list director to help deliver the blow.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Before takeoff, Graham joined staff and flight crew on the tarmac, bowing in prayer beside the towering white jet that marks a new chapter in the relief group’s aviation fleet.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Spotify is bowing its first-ever FAST channel on Samsung TV Plus stocked with video podcasts from Bill Simmons’ The Ringer.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
He will be killed by his brother, the angel Ejllael (Steve Noh), for bowing to a human.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Though Jimmy Kimmel is now back on the air, the Directors Guild of America isn’t acting like this instance of a Hollywood corporation apparently bowing to political pressure will be a one-off.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
However, the second time around, people are noting that there’s actually no official rule about curtsying or bowing when meeting members of the British royal family.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2025
In the new iterations bowing this week, the term is repeated three times, as is customary with Enriquez’s fashion.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowing
Adjective
-
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.—
Aylin Woodward,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
No racist stereotypes, no demeaning facial expressions, no bowed heads, and no broken bodies from the old Hollywood.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
-
The composer also added synths to his orchestral score, as well as bowed metal, where a violin bow is rubbed against metal instruments like a cowbell or a Vibraphone, for when Roz has a particularly intense feeling.—
Mia Galuppo,
The Hollywood Reporter,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Bowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowing. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share