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bow out

 - 5 dictionary results

bow

1  [bou]
Use bow out in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to bend the knee or body or incline the head, as in reverence, submission, salutation, recognition, or acknowledgment.
2. to yield; submit: to bow to the inevitable.
3. to bend or curve downward; stoop: the pines bowed low.
–verb (used with object)
4. to bend or incline (the knee, body, or head) in worship, submission, respect, civility, agreement, etc.: He bowed his head to the crowd.
5. to cause to submit; subdue; crush.
6. to cause to stoop or incline: Age had bowed his head.
7. to express by a bow: to bow one's thanks.
8. to usher (someone) with a bow (usually fol. by in, out, etc.): They were bowed in by the footman.
9. to cause to bend; make curved or crooked.
–noun
10. an inclination of the head or body in salutation, assent, thanks, reverence, respect, submission, etc.
—Verb phrase
11. bow out, to resign a position or withdraw from a job, competition, obligation, etc.: He bowed out after two terms as governor.
—Idioms
12. bow and scrape, to be excessively polite or deferential.
13. make one's bow, to appear publicly for the first time, as a performer, politician, etc.: The young pianist made her bow last night to an appreciative audience.
14. take a bow, to step forward or stand up in order to receive recognition, applause, etc.: The conductor had the soloists take a bow.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME bowen (v.), OE būgan; c. D buigen; akin to G biegen, Goth biugan, ON buga, etc.

Related forms:
bowedness, noun
bow⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. See bend 1 . 2. surrender, accede, defer, acquiesce, comply, capitulate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bow out
bow 2   (bou)   
v.   bowed, bow·ing, bows

v.   intr.

  1. To bend or curve downward; stoop.

  2. To incline the body or head or bend the knee in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.

  3. To yield in defeat or out of courtesy; submit. See Synonyms at yield.

v.   tr.

  1. To bend (the head, knee, or body) to express greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.

  2. To convey (greeting, for example) by bending the body.

  3. To escort deferentially: bowed us into the restaurant.

  4. To cause to acquiesce; submit.

  5. To overburden: Grief bowed them down.

n.  An inclination of the head or body, as in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.
Phrasal Verb(s):
bow outTo remove oneself; withdraw.

Idiom(s):
bow and scrapeTo behave obsequiously.

[Middle English bowen, from Old English būgan; see bheug- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

bow  (n2.)
"front of a ship," 1342, from O.N. bogr or M.Du. boech "bow of a ship," lit. "shoulder (of an animal)," the connecting notion being "the shoulders of the ship." See bough.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: bow
Pronunciation: 'bO
Function: noun
: a frame for the lenses of eyeglasses; also : the curved sidepiece of the frame passingover the ear
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

bow out

Depart, withdraw, resign, as in After five years as chairman, I felt it was time I bowed out, or We'll have to beat them; they'll never bow out. [First half of 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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