rowing

1 of 2

noun

row·​ing ˈrō-iŋ How to pronounce rowing (audio)
Synonyms of rowingnext
1
: the propelling of a boat by means of oars : the action of one that rows
2
: the sport of racing in shells

rowing

2 of 2

present participle of row entry 1, row entry 4, row entry 6

Examples of rowing in a Sentence

Noun She was on the rowing team.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
For the cardio portion, Cleveland Clinic recommends brisk walking, biking, dancing, swimming, rowing, stair climbing or elliptical training. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Not the least of them was Norway’s high-scoring rowing man, but Mbappe and Dembele of France arguably gave him a run for his money. — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 In this picture, Middleton looked so focused while in a training session on August 01, 2007, for her cross-channel rowing team, The Sisterhood. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 14 Aug. 2026 Netflix has announced several updates in their YA slate throughout the week, including casting information for the upcoming hockey drama The Sticks, the trailer for the rowing-centric Crew Girl, more details on the psychodrama The Body and more. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rowing

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rowing was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing rowing

Rhymes for rowing

See All Rhymes for rowing

Browse Nearby Words

row house
rowing
rowing boat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rowing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

rowing

noun
row·​ing ˈrō-iŋ How to pronounce rowing (audio)
: the sport of racing long narrow boats rowed by oars

More from Merriam-Webster on rowing

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rowing

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rowing

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All