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
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Recent Examples of bowing
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2026
The two freestanding units are flanked by wholesale activations in the region, with Stone Island shops-in-shop bowing at Holt Renfrew inside Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Center and at Saks Fifth Avenue, spanning 460 and 300 square feet, respectively.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 11 Dec. 2025
Even Prince William follows this protocol and has been seen bowing his head towards his father and stepmother.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
Structural problems include bowing exterior walls, a sagging roof frame and cracks in the basement walls.
—Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 26 Nov. 2025
The shift was widely seen as bowing to the inevitable.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 18 Nov. 2025
The Londoner — who was recently listed among Variety‘s Actors to Watch — stars alongside Cillian Murphy in the Toronto-bowing film, playing a troubled young man at a reform school for boys with behavioural difficulties.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Nov. 2025
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
Verb
Give branches and limbs bowing under the weight of snow or ice a helping hand.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2026
The two freestanding units are flanked by wholesale activations in the region, with Stone Island shops-in-shop bowing at Holt Renfrew inside Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Center and at Saks Fifth Avenue, spanning 460 and 300 square feet, respectively.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 11 Dec. 2025
Even Prince William follows this protocol and has been seen bowing his head towards his father and stepmother.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
Structural problems include bowing exterior walls, a sagging roof frame and cracks in the basement walls.
—Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 26 Nov. 2025
The shift was widely seen as bowing to the inevitable.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 18 Nov. 2025
The Londoner — who was recently listed among Variety‘s Actors to Watch — stars alongside Cillian Murphy in the Toronto-bowing film, playing a troubled young man at a reform school for boys with behavioural difficulties.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Nov. 2025
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
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
-
The building with its bowed windows and a Queen Ann tower had already been around for nine years before its owner placed a classified ad in a July 1897 issue of The Kansas City Times.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
19 Nov. 2025
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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
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 18 Jan. 2026.
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