as in to surprise
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
she was bowled over to learn that she had a long-lost sister
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bowl over
Andersen was bowled over in his crease by Timo Meier and had to exit the game, being replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov.
—
Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Place bowl over a pot of simmering water (do not let bottom of bowl touch water).
—Ana Calderone, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025
In a bowl over simmering water (aka double boiler), melt butter, chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Mar. 2025
Instructions: Whisk or blend the egg, sweetener, coffee, and milk in a heatproof bowl over simmering water until thick and fluffy (about 10 minutes).
—Regina C. Windsor, Mph, Rdn, Verywell Health, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bowl over
Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Place bowl over a pot of simmering water (do not let bottom of bowl touch water).
—Ana Calderone, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025
In a bowl over simmering water (aka double boiler), melt butter, chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Mar. 2025
Instructions: Whisk or blend the egg, sweetener, coffee, and milk in a heatproof bowl over simmering water until thick and fluffy (about 10 minutes).
—Regina C. Windsor, Mph, Rdn, Verywell Health, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bowl over
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowl over
Verb
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In the past, she has been surprised by the condition of upholstered pieces at estate sales upon taking them outside.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
28 June 2025
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Our patients speak all these languages and occasionally surprise us with more, such as French or Bangla.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2025
Verb
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In 2024 one woman amazed the internet with the results after she was warned not to paint her house white, only for the results to shock people who were against it at first.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 June 2025
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The way 16 different emotions can flit across his face in a single moment continually surprises, amazes and confounds us.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
12 June 2025
Verb
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The rescue pup stunned judges with her brown and blue eyes, speckled fur, and inviting smile.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
1 July 2025
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Unlike games like Super Mario Galaxy, which allow P2 to sort of play along by shooting little stars to stun enemies, Bananza’s version of coop feels extremely robust and changes the entire game.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Dangerous enough to raise the stakes, but not too gruesome to shock young viewers.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
5 July 2025
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There have been nearly 2,000 episodes of the Real Housewives franchise at this point, so for these women to still find new ways to shock me is beyond remarkable.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
3 July 2025
Verb
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Driver hit a pole after cicada startled them The crash happened around 1:48 p.m. on June 11 in Blue Ash, a suburb of Cincinnati, according to a crash report obtained by USA TODAY.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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At one point, before anyone could intervene, the baby startled my dog, and my dog reacted by biting him.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Two seagulls rode the air with outstretched wings, rocking side to side.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 June 2025
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As Tyler Durden, Pitt struts with a cigarette in his mouth, rocking his sunglasses and trademark jackets.—
Derek Scancarelli,
EW.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Teoscar Hernández, as always right by Pages’ side, was astonished.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
26 June 2025
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She is simultaneously astonished and grateful that there is a 50th Mr. Irrelevant.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bowl over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowl%20over. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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