bowling over

verb

present participle of bowl over
as in amazing
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected she was bowled over to learn that she had a long-lost sister

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowling over
  1. amazing
  2. stunning
  3. surprising
  4. shocking
  5. startling
  6. astonishing
Verb
  • In one camp Gao Sheng breaks a cultural norm by helping her father and uncles with a big project, amazing her relatives with her physical and mental strength.
    — Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026
Definition of amazing
Verb
  • Footage of the fight shared online showed Williams punching Colón in the back of the head in the seventh round, apparently stunning him.
    — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Margaret deploys this power to find Daniel and to free him from Noah and the WARDEX minions—essentially, by stunning them emotionally.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 16 June 2026
Definition of stunning
Verb
  • George Santos simply cannot get up After surprising the DS by passing the first task — falling out of a hovering helicopter backward — Santos ruins his big moment by struggling to swim to the dock and not being able to lift himself out of the water.
    — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Human beings have an inconvenient habit of surprising us, and sometimes that surprise is the finding that matters most.
    — Rebecca Brooks, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of surprising
Verb
  • The run of recent incidents is shocking even those on the inside.
    — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Philadelphia began the season 9-19, shocking much of the baseball world considering how great their roster is.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of shocking
Verb
  • As if triggered by this thought, the door buzzed itself open, startling the pigeons from wire to wing, a grand scattering.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The unpredictable motion scares them off, startling them and throwing them off balance.
    — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of startling
Verb
  • Booming demand Anthropic’s growth has been astonishing even by Silicon Valley standards.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Nordstrom has really sweet jewelry pieces at not-astonishing price points.
    — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of astonishing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

bowling (down or over)
bowling over
bowl over
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Cite this Entry

“Bowling over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowling%20over. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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