Definition of bowl verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

bowl

verb

/bəʊl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they bowl	/bəʊl/ /bəʊl/
he / she / it bowls	/bəʊlz/ /bəʊlz/
past simple bowled	/bəʊld/ /bəʊld/
past participle bowled	/bəʊld/ /bəʊld/
-ing form bowling	/ˈbəʊlɪŋ/ /ˈbəʊlɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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roll ball

[intransitive, transitive] bowl (something) to roll a ball in the games of bowls and bowling

It was Peter's turn to bowl.

in cricket

[intransitive, transitive] bowl (something) to throw a ball to the batter (= the person who hits the ball)

He bowled him a gentle first ball.
Smith had bowled more than ten overs.

Synonyms throwthrowtoss ▪ hurl ▪ fling ▪ chuck ▪ lob ▪ bowl ▪ pitchThese words all mean to send something from your hand through the air.throw to send something from your hand or hands through the air:

Some kids were throwing stones at the window.
She threw the ball and he caught it.

toss to throw something lightly or carelessly:

She tossed her jacket onto the bed.

hurl to throw something violently in a particular direction:

Rioters hurled a brick through the car’s windscreen.

fling to throw somebody/something somewhere with a lot of force, especially because you are angry or in a hurry:

She flung the letter down onto the table.

chuck (especially British English, informal) to throw something carelessly:

I chucked him the keys.

lob (informal) to throw something so that it goes high through the air:

They were lobbing stones over the wall.

bowl (in cricket) to throw the ball to the batterpitch (in baseball) to throw the ball to the batterPatterns

to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck/lob/bowl/pitch something at/to somebody/something
to throw/toss/fling/chuck something aside/away
to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck/lob/bowl/pitch a ball
to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck stones/rocks/a brick
to throw/toss/hurl/fling something angrily
to throw/toss something casually/carelessly

[transitive] bowl somebody (out) to make the batter have to leave the field by throwing a ball that hits the wicket

move quickly

[intransitive] + adv./prep. to move quickly in a particular direction, especially in a vehicle

Soon we were bowling along the country roads.

Word Originverb late Middle English (in the general sense ‘ball’): from Old French boule, from Latin bulla ‘bubble’.

See bowl in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Check pronunciation: bowl

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Phrasal verbs

bowl somebody over

Nearby words

previously

adverb

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