bowl

noun

/bəʊl/

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[countable] (especially in compounds) a deep round dish with a wide open top, used especially for holding food or liquid

a salad/fruit/sugar bowl
a washing-up bowl
I refilled the dog's water bowl.
Sieve the flour into a bowl.

see also begging bowl, goldfish bowl, mixing bowl

Extra Examples

I helped myself to an apple from the bowl.
Mix the ingredients in a deep bowl.
The bowl was overflowing.
The boy was drinking milk out of a bowl.
The cat drank some milk from the bowl
The washing-up bowl was overflowing.
This bowl holds about four pints.
a washing-up bowl full of dirty dishes

Topics Cooking and eatinga2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

deep
shallow
empty
…

verb + bowl

fill
pour (somebody)
pour something into
…

bowl + verb

contain something
hold something
overflow
…

preposition

from a/the bowl
out of a/the bowl
in a/the bowl
…

See full entry

amount

[countable]

(also bowlful

/ˈbəʊlfʊl/

)

the amount contained in a bowl

He poured himself a bowl of soup.
I ate a bowl of cereal.
a bowl of rice/noodles/porridge/water

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

deep
shallow
empty
…

verb + bowl

fill
pour (somebody)
pour something into
…

bowl + verb

contain something
hold something
overflow
…

preposition

from a/the bowl
out of a/the bowl
in a/the bowl
…

See full entry

shape

[countable] the part of some objects that is like a bowl in shape

the bowl of a spoon
a toilet/lavatory bowl

theatre

[countable] (especially North American English) (in names) a large round theatre without a roof, used for concerts, etc. outdoors

the Hollywood Bowl

ball

[countable] a heavy wooden ball that is used in the games of bowls and bowling

game

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bowls

[uncountable]

(North American English also lawn bowling)

a game played on an area of very smooth grass, in which players take turns to roll bowls as near as possible to a small ball

CultureThe balls are heavier on one side so they travel in a curve. Bowls has been popular in Britain for about 600 years and there is a famous story from 1588 about Sir Francis Drake and a game of bowls. According to the story, he was told during the game that the Spanish armada was coming, but he said, ‘There is time to win this game and beat the Spaniards, too.’ Bowls is now usually played by older people.

Topics Games and toysc2

football game

[countable] (North American English) (in names) a game of American football played after the main season between the best teams

the Super Bowl

Topics Sports: ball and racket sportsc2

Word Originnoun senses 1 to 4 and noun sense 7 Old English bolle, bolla, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bol ‘round object’, also to boll. noun senses 5 to 6 late Middle English (in the general sense ‘ball’): from Old French boule, from Latin bulla ‘bubble’.

bowl

verb

/bəʊl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they bowl	/bəʊl/ /bəʊl/
he / she / it bowls	/bəʊlz/ /bəʊlz/
past simple bowled	/bəʊld/ /bəʊld/
past participle bowled	/bəʊld/ /bəʊld/
-ing form bowling	/ˈbəʊlɪŋ/ /ˈbəʊlɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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roll ball

[intransitive, transitive] bowl (something) to roll a ball in the games of bowls and bowling

It was Peter's turn to bowl.

in cricket

[intransitive, transitive] bowl (something) to throw a ball to the batsman (= the person who hits the ball)

He bowled him a gentle first ball.
Smith had bowled more than ten overs.

Synonyms throwthrow

toss
hurl
fling
chuck
lob
bowl
pitch

These words all mean to send something from your hand through the air.

throw
to send something from your hand or hands through the air:
- Some kids were throwing stones at the window.
- She threw the ball and he caught it.
toss
to throw something lightly or carelessly:
- She tossed her jacket onto the bed.
hurl
to throw something violently in a particular direction:
- Rioters hurled a brick through the car’s windscreen.
fling
to throw somebody/something somewhere with a lot of force, especially because you are angry or in a hurry:
- She flung the letter down onto the table.
chuck
(especially British English, informal) to throw something carelessly:
- I chucked him the keys.
lob
(informal) to throw something so that it goes high through the air:
- They were lobbing stones over the wall.
bowl (in cricket) to throw the ball to the batsman
pitch (in baseball) to throw the ball to the batter

Patterns

to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck/lob/bowl/pitch something at/to somebody/something
to throw/toss/fling/chuck something aside/away
to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck/lob/bowl/pitch a ball
to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck stones/rocks/a brick
to throw/toss/hurl/fling something angrily
to throw/toss something casually/carelessly

[transitive] bowl somebody (out) to make the batsman have to leave the field by throwing a ball that hits the wicket

move quickly

[intransitive] + adv./prep. to move quickly in a particular direction, especially in a vehicle

Soon we were bowling along the country roads.

Word Originverb late Middle English (in the general sense ‘ball’): from Old French boule, from Latin bulla ‘bubble’.