bowl

SayBOHL/boʊl/AUS/bɐʉl/UKBOL/bɒl/

Pluralbowls

Verbbowls, bowling, bowled

18 meanings of bowl

Practice

1
dishnouncountable
A round, deep dish used to hold food like soup, salad, or fruit.
Like a small round basket, but solid so it can hold liquids.
She poured the soup into a large bowl.
He filled his bowl with cereal and milk.
Similardish
2
football gamenouncountable
A special American football game played after the regular season ends.
Like the final big game that caps off the whole season.
Their team won the bowl after a perfect season.
Our college team hopes to play in a bowl this year.
UsagePeople also say bowl game.
Note
3
nouncountable
The amount of food or liquid that fills one bowl.
Like saying 'a cup of water' to mean the amount a cup holds.
He ate a whole bowl of rice for lunch.
She drank two bowls of soup to warm up.
UsageSay a bowl of rice, two bowls of soup.
Similarserving, helping
4
rolling gameverbintransitive
To play bowling or a game like it, rolling a ball toward a target.
Our school team will bowl in the city finals next week.
Grandpa still bowls on the grass at the park every summer.
UsagePeople often say go bowling.
5
meal with toppingsnouncountable
A meal of different foods served together in one bowl.
Like a salad, but the foods are layered in a deep dish instead of on a flat plate.
She ordered a rice bowl with chicken and vegetables.
The new bowl on the café menu came loaded with rice and beans.
Note
6
send to batterverbtransitive or intransitive
In cricket and games like it, to send the ball with a swing of the arm toward the player with the bat.
Like a pitcher in baseball sending the ball toward the batter.
He bowled well throughout the match.
She can bowl with surprising speed.
UsageIn cricket, say bowl, not throw, for sending the ball to the batter. Throwing it to the batter is against the rules.
Similardeliver
Note
7
cup-shaped partnouncountable
The round, hollow part of something, like the part of a spoon that holds the food.
Like the curved, hollow inside of a cup.
Water filled the shallow bowl of the birdbath.
The candle rested in the curved bowl of the brass holder.
Similarbasin
8
nouncountable
A turn at bowling, involving one ball or, in cricket, a series of balls.
Like one throw of a ball in a game.
That was a great bowl from the new player.
At cricket practice, the coach let everyone have a bowl.
Similardelivery
9
stadiumnouncountable
A large, round outdoor stadium or theater shaped like a deep dish.
Shaped like a giant soup dish, with seats rising up all around the sides.
Thousands of fans packed the bowl for the summer concert.
The open-air bowl can seat over fifty thousand people.
Similaramphitheater, stadium, arena
Note
10
hollow in landnouncountable
A rounded hollow in the ground, with sides sloping toward a lower center.
Like a giant scoop taken out of the ground.
Rainwater collected in the grassy bowl below the hill.
The valley dips into a wide bowl near the river.
Similarcrater, hollow
Note
11
get out (cricket)verbtransitive
In cricket, to get a batter out with a ball that hits the wicket and knocks the bails off.
She wants to bowl the other team's captain and watch the bails fly off.
He was bowled after scoring only ten runs when the ball hit his stumps.
UsagePeople often say a batter was bowled.

Less common meanings

12
pipe partnouncountable
The small hollow cup on a pipe or bong that holds the stuff you burn.
Like a tiny cup that holds whatever gets burned.
Grandpa pressed fresh tobacco into the bowl of his old pipe.
The bowl was clogged with ash and needed cleaning.
13
one smokenouncountable
One filling of material packed into a pipe or bong to smoke at one time.
Like a single cup of coffee, but it's one filling for a pipe.
After work, he likes to smoke a bowl on the porch.
He smoked one bowl and went straight to bed.
UsagePeople say pack a bowl or smoke a bowl.
Note
14
haircutnouncountable
A haircut where straight hair is cut to the same length all around, like an upside-down bowl.
Looks like someone put a bowl over your head and cut around the edge.
Every summer his mom cut his hair into a neat bowl.
The boy showed up to school with a fresh bowl cut.
UsagePeople usually say bowl cut or bowl haircut.
15
verbtransitive or intransitive
To move along smoothly and quickly, like something rolling on wheels.
Like a ball rolling fast and smooth across the floor.
Cars bowl along this stretch of highway at full speed.
The wagon bowled down the slope and across the field.
UsagePeople usually say bowl along.
Similarroll, cruise, speed
Note
16
letter curvenouncountable
The round part of a printed letter that closes around an empty space, as in d and o.
Like the round loop of a balloon letter, holding empty space inside.
The bowl of the letter b looked too wide in that font.
Designers made the bowl rounder so the text reads more easily.
Note
17
rolled ballnouncountable
The heavy ball that players roll in the game of lawn bowls.
Like a ball you roll across the grass to stop near a target.
She rolled her bowl close to the small white target ball.
His bowl curved gently across the smooth green.
UsageThe game is called bowls. One ball is a bowl.
Similarwood, ball
Note
18
throw atverbtransitive
To hit someone or something by rolling an object at them.
Alas, I had rather be set quick i' the earth, / And bowled to death with turnips.
c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”
Similarpelt, strike, hit, bombard
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of bowl apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–3, 5, 7, 9–10, 12–14, 16

From Old English "bolla," meaning bowl or cup, from older Germanic words for a ball or round vessel.

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Bowl comes from Old English bolla, meaning bowl or cup. en.wiktionary.org
Its older Germanic ancestors meant ball or round vessel. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 4, 6, 8, 11, 15, 17–18

Latin "bulla" (bubble, round object) gave Old French "boule" (ball), and English took it from there. A papal "bull" comes from the same Latin word.