bowing 1 of 3

adjective

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
  • This can complicate the pre-approval and formal approval process for buyers without access to technology or who aren’t comfortable submitting sensitive documents online.
    — Dan Simms, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The following month, Marcus and Bakhitar made another strategic decision based on their network's advice, submitting applications to sell pickles at Erewhon and Whole Foods despite barely having any history as a business.
    — Megan Sauer, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of submitting
Verb
  • Here, nothing comparable to a ball is physically curving through space.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Its flowing, inward-curving shape wraps around a 30-foot central tower, forming a space where people can come together to reflect, remember, and gather.
    — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of curving
Verb
  • South Korean girl group has garnered an international audience for live energy and genre-bending music.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Built to last Integrating live electricity into moving, bending plastic is tricky.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 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
  • Dudley has also produced three assists and can look forward to fixtures against high-conceding teams like Chicago and Louisville in September.
    — Karan Lodha, New York Times, 26 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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