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
Verb
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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
Verb
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Zara has been surprising them from the very beginning.—
Jasmine Viel,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Since Vic and Christine didn’t get an international getaway, TurboTax is surprising them with a honeymoon (and handling their first joint tax return while they’re gone, of course).—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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He’s involved in a war of monumental proportions that’s shocking the globe.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
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Here in Eruemukohwarien, a few individual villagers climb over the perimeter sandbags in order to place their cassava, laid out on bamboo trays, in shocking proximity to the 30-foot fireball.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some cyclists sped by pretty quickly, startling us and our dog.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Bowling over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowling%20over. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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