bow
noun
Definitions of bow noun
movement
- Countable
The act of bending the head or body forward, typically to show respect or gratitude to an audience or performer.
The audience cheered loudly, and she returned to the stage to take another bow.
After the performance concluded, the actors gave the audience a deep bow.
He gave a slight bow to express his thanks.
structure
- Countable
The forward part of a ship.
verb
Definitions of bow verb
- TransitiveIntransitive
To bend the head or body forward as a gesture of respect, gratitude, or acknowledgment.
They bowed before the Queen.
We bowed our heads during the prayer.
He bowed deeply before the king, begging for mercy.
Idioms
- bow and scrape
To behave in a servile manner by being excessively polite or attentive to someone.
• He's always bowing and scraping to the boss, hoping to get in his good graces.
- fire a (warning) shot across someone's bow
To issue a warning to someone, indicating that strong actions will be taken if their behavior does not change.
• The manager fired a warning shot across the team's bow, stating that there would be personnel changes if the project was delayed.
Phrasal Verbs of bow
- bow out
to resign from a position or discontinue an activity, generally following an extended period.
• After years of hard work, he decided to bow out officially.
- bow down to someone
to demonstrate deference and acknowledge another person's superior authority
• We had to bow down to the authority of the successful businessman.
- bow to someone/something
to comply with someone else's wishes, often reluctantly
• Even though he disagreed, we ultimately bowed to the manager's demands.