bowing 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of bowing
as in nodding
bending downward or forward the bowing blossoms indicated that the petunia plant desperately needed water

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bowing

2 of 3

verb (1)

present participle of bow
1
as in succumbing
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control) finally bowed to the judge's insistence that she change her outfit

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2
as in submitting
to give up and cease resistance (as to a liking, temptation, or habit) bowed to the craving for fresh coffee

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bowing

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of bow
1
as in curving
to turn away from a straight line or course the river bows gently to the north before it reaches the sea

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2
as in bending
to cause to turn away from a straight line you'll have to gently bow the strip of wood in order to fit it in

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bowing
Verb
At Night will have a North American premiere in Toronto after bowing in Locarno. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026 Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation on Saturday, bowing to mounting pressure after tens of thousands of students and supporters took to the streets demanding his removal and sweeping reforms to India’s examination system. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 25 July 2026 Winds gusted up to 80 miles per hour, bowing palm trees and knocking down power lines that sparked the fires. — Angus Chen, STAT, 22 July 2026 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired his commander in chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, on Tuesday, bowing to pressure after the removal of popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov sparked the fiercest leadership crisis of his presidency. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 21 July 2026 An adventure bowing to higher authority, raising yourself above nothing and no one. — Padgett Powell, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026 China and Japan are part of the offshore suite opening Friday, with France and Belgium bowing next weekend. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 26 June 2026 Set to debut in October, the Seville ‘Luminiscence’ marks the third city in Spain to host the global immersive phenomenon, after bowing in San Sebastián at its Buen Pastor Cathedral and in Barcelona, where a total 115,000 people have attended over 500 performances in a first season run. — John Hopewell, Variety, 22 June 2026 His coworker once spotted a fan on their knees, bowing toward the entrance gate near the property. — Leah Willingham, Fortune, 21 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowing
  1. nodding
  2. succumbing
  3. submitting
  4. curving
  5. bending
  6. weeping
  7. conceding
  8. arching
Adjective
  • James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.
    — Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Definition of nodding
Verb
  • The researchers said this means that the current controls by AI companies are prone to being disabled by misbehaving AI and at risk of succumbing to a blitz of AI attacks.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • There have been some close calls, with the closest being a 75-74 defeat in Game 2 of last season’s opening round, a game where Golden State held multiple large leads before succumbing late to a Minnesota comeback.
    — Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of succumbing
Verb
  • The app now allows tipsters to report 46 specific kinds of park problems, instead of just submitting general parks complaints.
    — Point Loma-Ob Monthly, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Already, thousands of users have downloaded the iPhone app, with some eagerly submitting feedback that has helped improve key functionality, including the ability to detect AI glasses and receive alerts when the app is closed.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of submitting
Verb
  • Its bright red star Antares marks the heart of the scorpion, with a curving tail extending downward toward the horizon.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Similar to other colubrids, this species possesses a Duvernoy’s gland—a venom gland located behind the eyes and connected by a tube to grooved, backward-curving teeth at the back of the upper jaw.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of curving
Verb
  • Earth’s atmosphere scatters away much of the blue light while bending red and orange wavelengths into the shadow.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The effort started outside the post before bending inwards towards the top-left corner, with Ballard’s outside-of-the-boot contact generating the spin required.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of bending
Adjective
  • And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
    — David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Definition of weeping
Verb
  • But keeping their promotion rivals at bay most definitely was, Parkinson’s men conceding 24 times in those dozen games, 16 of which came on Welsh soil.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The Bulls got on the scoreboard straight after halftime, ending New Zealand's streak without conceding at 124 minutes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of conceding
Verb
  • In the opposite direction, open the elbows wide, arching the back and lifting the chin to the sky.
    — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Keeping your thighs aligned, bend one knee and bring your heel toward your buttocks without arching your back.
    — RikkiLynn Shields Hannigan, HEALTH, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of arching

Browse Nearby Words

bowie knifes
bowing
bowing out
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Cite this Entry

“Bowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowing. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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