I. bow 1 /baʊ/ BrE AmE verb
1 . [intransitive] to bend the top part of your body forward in order to show respect for someone important, or as a way of thanking an ↑ audience :
She bowed and left the stage.
Corbett entered the room, bowing respectfully.
The servant bowed low and handed his master the sealed note.
bow before/to
He bowed before the king.
2 . bow your head to bend your neck so that you are looking at the ground, especially because you want to show respect for God, or because you are embarrassed or upset:
She bowed her head and prayed.
Phil stood, his head bowed in shame.
3 . [intransitive and transitive] to bend your body over something, especially in order to see it more closely
bow over
Teague sat at his desk, bowed over a book.
4 . [intransitive and transitive] to bend, or to make something bend:
The trees bowed in the wind.
His back was bowed under the weight of the heavy bag.
5 . bow and scrape to show too much respect to someone in authority – used to show disapproval
bow down phrasal verb
1 . to bend your body forward, especially when you are already kneeling, in order to show respect
bow down before/to etc
Maria bowed down before the statue.
Come, let us bow down in worship.
2 . bow down to somebody literary to let someone give you orders or tell you what to do – used to show disapproval
bow out phrasal verb
1 . to stop taking part in an activity, job etc, especially one that you have been doing for a long time
bow out of
Reeves thinks it is time for him to bow out of politics.
2 . to not do something that you have promised or agreed to do
bow out of
You’re not trying to bow out of this, are you?
bow to somebody/something phrasal verb
to finally agree to do something, even though you do not want to do it:
Congress may bow to public pressure and lift the arms embargo.
Myers finally bowed to the inevitable (=accepted something he could not change) and withdrew from the campaign.
II. bow 2 /baʊ/ BrE AmE noun
1 . [countable] the act of bending the top part of your body forward to show respect for someone when you meet them, or as a way of thanking an ↑ audience
take/give a bow (=bow to the audience at the end of a performance)
The music ended and the girl took a bow.
He gave a final bow just as the curtains came down.
This is done with a formal bow to the king or queen.
2 . ( also bows [plural] ) [countable] the front part of a ship ⇨ stern , yacht
III. bow 3 /bəʊ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . a weapon used for shooting ↑ arrow s , made of a long thin piece of wood held in a curve by a tight string:
a bow and arrow
2 . a knot of cloth or string, with a curved part on either side and two loose ends, worn in the hair as decoration or for tying ↑ shoelace s :
Ella wore a bow in her hair.
in a bow
long chestnut hair tied back in a bow
3 . a long thin piece of wood with a tight string fastened along it, used to play musical instruments such as the ↑ violin or ↑ cello
⇨ have more than one string to your bow at ↑ string 1 (8)
IV. bow 4 /bəʊ/ BrE AmE verb
[intransitive and transitive] to play a piece of music on a musical instrument with a ↑ bow 3