Bowl

/boʊl/

Meaning & Definition

noun
A round, deep dish or basin used for food or liquid.
Please pass me the salad bowl.
A rounded, typically deep container used for serving or holding food.
He filled the bowl with soup.
The score achieved in a game of bowling.
She achieved a perfect bowl in the last frame.
verb
To roll a ball towards a target, especially in sports such as bowling.
He learned how to bowl properly in his bowling league.
To move forward in a curved path.
The kite began to bowl gracefully in the sky.

Etymology

Middle English: from Old Norse 'bolli', of unknown ultimate origin.

Common Phrases and Expressions

bowl over
To astonish or overwhelm someone.
bowl me a line
To tell someone a tall tale or lie.

Related Words

bowlful
The amount that a bowl can hold.
bowl game
A post-season college football game.

Slang Meanings

To smoke marijuana using a bowl.
They took a break to bowl in the park.
To mess up or fail a task.
I really bowled on that exam; I didn't study.