Bowled
/boʊld/
verbBeginnerVery CommonGeneral
Meanings
Questions
Definitions
2 meanings1
To throw a ball at pins in a bowling game.
/boʊld/
verbneutralBeginner
General
To knock down pins with a ball
She bowled a perfect game.
💡 Simply: To throw a ball to knock down pins.
More Examples
2
They bowled for hours.
How It's Used
Bowling
"He bowled a strike."
2
To be greatly impressed or astonished.
/boʊld/
verbpositiveIntermediate
General
To be completely overwhelmed or surprised
I was bowled over by her kindness.
💡 Simply: To be very surprised.
More Examples
2
The beauty of the scenery bowled me over.
How It's Used
Informal
"I was bowled over by the news."
Tip:Think of being knocked over like pins in bowling.
Past tense of "bowl," ultimately derived from Old English *bōl, meaning "a round vessel."
The use of "bowled" in the sense of knocking down pins is relatively recent, tied to the development of ten-pin bowling.
Memory tip
Imagine the ball rolling down the lane, knocking down pins.
Practice
Base: bowl
bowldboweld
Usage
70%Spoken
30%Written