bowl over

verb

bowled over; bowling over; bowls over

transitive verb

1

: to take unawares

2

: impress entry 1 sense 1

Synonyms of bowl over

• surprise
• amaze
• stun
• shock
• startle
• take aback
• take by surprise
• astonish

Examples of bowl over in a Sentence

she was bowled over to learn that she had a long-lost sister

Recent Examples on the Web

Taylor, 6-4, has tantalized with his bazooka of an arm (his TD pass against Louisiana Monroe in the opener traveled 60 air yards), accuracy on his deep ball, speed and the ability to bowl over defenders in his way. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

At 6-foot, 215 pounds, Jenkins can bowl over defenders and runs like a fullback. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026

One woman filed a lawsuit against the event’s organizers after she allegedly was bowled over during a crowd rush, sustaining multiple injuries. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026

Yet, as with Lebanon, Middle East watchers were bowled over to discover that the MOU codified Iran’s claim to a say in administering passage through the strait. — Ron Kampeas, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bowl over

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover

Kids Definition

bowl over

verb

1

: to hit and knock down while quickly moving past

2

: to greatly surprise or impress