plural bowls
1
: a concave usually nearly hemispherical vessel : a rounded container that is usually larger than a cup
a soup bowl
a set of mixing bowls
specifically
: a drinking vessel (as for wine)
2
: the contents of a bowl
ate a bowl of rice
3
: a bowl-shaped or concave part: such as
a
: the hollow of a spoon or tobacco pipe
b
: the receptacle of a toilet
cleaning toilet bowls
4
a
: a natural formation or geographical region shaped like a bowl
b
: a bowl-shaped structure
especially
: an athletic stadium
5
football
: a postseason game between specially invited teams
college bowl games
plural bowls
1
a
: a ball that is used in lawn bowling and that is shaped with a bias (see bias entry 1 sense 3a) so that it swerves when rolled
Note: Bowls were formerly made of lignum vitae with weights added to produce a bias, but are now composed of hard, dense plastic.
b
2
: a delivery of the ball in the game of bowling
3
: a cylindrical roller or drum (as for a machine)
bowled; bowling; bowls
1
2
: to travel smoothly and rapidly (as in a wheeled vehicle)
1
a
: to roll (a ball) in bowling
b(1)
: to complete by bowling
bowl a spare
(2)
: to score by bowling
bowls 150
2
: to strike with a swiftly moving object
being bowled over by a base runner
Synonyms
Examples of bowl in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a new bowl for the football team
Verb
I don't think I can bowl a 12-pound ball.
We bowl every Thursday night.
Do you like to bowl?
I haven't bowled since I was a kid.
She usually bowls around 150.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 13 May 2024
When cool enough to handle, chop into bite-size pieces, and place in a large salad bowl.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 11 May 2024
Place chicken, buttermilk, pickle juice, hot sauce, and 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt in large bowl; toss well to ensure chicken is completely coated in buttermilk mixture.
—Judy Bart Kancigor, Orange County Register, 9 May 2024
Meanwhile, reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Make rhubarb-custard filling:
Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, orange zest, salt, almond extract, 1 cup of the sugar, and 3 tablespoons of the flour in a large bowl.
—Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 8 May 2024
Place the clams in a large bowl along with 1 tablespoon salt, and fill the bowl with cold water.
—Lidey Heuck, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024
In an extra-large nonmetal bowl, combine the 12 cups zucchini and the 1 cup onion slices.
—Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 May 2024
How to clean a toilet brush To clean your toilet bowl brush:
Pour bleach into your toilet bowl and submerge the brush.
—Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 6 May 2024
Remove and cool slightly. Spread the quinoa on a serving platter or in a large, shallow serving bowl.
—Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 6 May 2024
Noah Osborne, NBC News, 30 Apr. 2024
Pecking order: After the New Year’s Six slots are filled, the Holiday Bowl gets the third pick after the Alamo and Las Vegas bowls in the Pac-12 (note that in even years, the Holiday picks after the Alamo Bowl and before the Las Vegas Bowl).
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023
Jonas was joined by his brothers Nick, 31, and Kevin, 36, for the outing, marking their second game of lawn bowling at the venue in the past week.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
Benedicts, hearty skillet bowls with eggs and crispy breakfast potatoes, and steak-and-eggs recall classic diner fare with a more fashionable presentation.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2024
Boys bowling Oak Hills 2904, West Clermont 2897 Leaders: Iles (OH) 503, Goewey (WC) 491.
—Alex Harrison, The Enquirer, 23 Jan. 2024
The Centre Pompidou, Paris’ inside-out architectural marvel that’s home to the city’s prestigious modern and contemporary art museum, has bowled me over on every visit.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 31 Dec. 2023
Arrange croissants, and add egg mixture: Add egg mixture and 1 cup of the cheese to bowl with onion mixture, and stir to combine.
—Paige Grandjean, Southern Living, 11 Nov. 2023
Mookie Betts bowls during the 50/50 Foundation charity bowling event at Lucky Strike LA Live in Los Angeles on Feb. 3.Mat Hayward / Getty Images for Mookie Betts 5050 Foundation
The 31-year-old says some of his baseball success can be traced to time spent in bowling alleys.
—Morgan Chesky, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2024
Noun
The technology, internally called Infinite Kitchen, can shoot greens, beans, and other toppings into customers’ bowls.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 13 May 2024
When cool enough to handle, chop into bite-size pieces, and place in a large salad bowl.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 11 May 2024
Place chicken, buttermilk, pickle juice, hot sauce, and 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt in large bowl; toss well to ensure chicken is completely coated in buttermilk mixture.
—Judy Bart Kancigor, Orange County Register, 9 May 2024
Meanwhile, reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Make rhubarb-custard filling:
Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, orange zest, salt, almond extract, 1 cup of the sugar, and 3 tablespoons of the flour in a large bowl.
—Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 8 May 2024
Place the clams in a large bowl along with 1 tablespoon salt, and fill the bowl with cold water.
—Lidey Heuck, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024
In an extra-large nonmetal bowl, combine the 12 cups zucchini and the 1 cup onion slices.
—Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 May 2024
How to clean a toilet brush To clean your toilet bowl brush:
Pour bleach into your toilet bowl and submerge the brush.
—Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 6 May 2024
Remove and cool slightly. Spread the quinoa on a serving platter or in a large, shallow serving bowl.
—Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 6 May 2024
Verb
Dave & Buster’s, which started in 1982, has more than 222 venues in North America, offering everything from bowling to laser tag, plus virtual reality.
—Noah Osborne, NBC News, 30 Apr. 2024
Pecking order: After the New Year’s Six slots are filled, the Holiday Bowl gets the third pick after the Alamo and Las Vegas bowls in the Pac-12 (note that in even years, the Holiday picks after the Alamo Bowl and before the Las Vegas Bowl).
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023
Jonas was joined by his brothers Nick, 31, and Kevin, 36, for the outing, marking their second game of lawn bowling at the venue in the past week.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
Benedicts, hearty skillet bowls with eggs and crispy breakfast potatoes, and steak-and-eggs recall classic diner fare with a more fashionable presentation.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2024
Boys bowling Oak Hills 2904, West Clermont 2897 Leaders: Iles (OH) 503, Goewey (WC) 491.
—Alex Harrison, The Enquirer, 23 Jan. 2024
The Centre Pompidou, Paris’ inside-out architectural marvel that’s home to the city’s prestigious modern and contemporary art museum, has bowled me over on every visit.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 31 Dec. 2023
Arrange croissants, and add egg mixture: Add egg mixture and 1 cup of the cheese to bowl with onion mixture, and stir to combine.
—Paige Grandjean, Southern Living, 11 Nov. 2023
Mookie Betts bowls during the 50/50 Foundation charity bowling event at Lucky Strike LA Live in Los Angeles on Feb. 3.Mat Hayward / Getty Images for Mookie Betts 5050 Foundation
The 31-year-old says some of his baseball success can be traced to time spent in bowling alleys.
—Morgan Chesky, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bowl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bowl
Cite this Entry
“Bowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bowl. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bowl
1 of 3 noun1
: a rounded dish generally deeper than a basin and larger than a cup
2
: the contents of a bowl
3
: the bowl-shaped part of something (as a spoon)
4
a
: a rounded valley or geographical region
the dust bowl
b
: a bowl-shaped stadium or theater
5
bowl
2 of 3 noun1
a
: a ball shaped to roll in a curved path for use in lawn bowling
b
plural
: lawn bowling
2
: a cast of the ball in bowling or bowls
bowl
3 of 3 verb1
: to roll a ball in bowling or bowls
2
: to move smoothly and rapidly
Etymology
Noun
Old English bolla "bowl"
Noun
Middle English boule "a weighted ball," from early French boule (same meaning), from Latin bulla "bubble" — related to boil entry 2
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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