Bowling Means Two Different Games, Depending on the Country
In America bowling means knocking down pins in a lane. In Britain and the Commonwealth it also means delivering the ball in cricket, and rolling a bowl on a green.
Bowling covers several sports that share one action: sending a ball along the ground. Which one a speaker means depends almost entirely on where they are standing.
- Knocking down pins with a ball. *We went bowling on Saturday.*
- Delivering the ball in cricket. *His bowling was fast and accurate.*
- Rolling bowls on a green. *Lawn bowling in the park.*
- Moving fast and smoothly (verb). *The car came bowling round the corner.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bowling | Ten-pin bowling. |
| Verb | bowl | He bowled the first over. |
| Person | bowler | A fast bowler. |
| Place | bowling alley | Meet at the bowling alley. |
| Place | bowling green | A well-kept bowling green. |
How it is used in a sentence
- We are going bowling tonight.Go bowling, like go swimming — no article.
- She bowled him out in the third over.Cricket — the batter is dismissed.
- That question bowled me over.Bowl over means astonish or knock flat.
Bowling round the world
- Ten-pin bowling — the indoor lane game, dominant in North America
- Lawn bowls — played outdoors on grass, popular across the Commonwealth
- Bocce and petanque — Italian and French cousins played on gravel or dirt
- Cricket bowling — the only one where the target is a person, not a pin
The root is *bowl*, from Old French *boule*, a ball, from Latin *bulla*. The eating bowl is a different word entirely, from Old English *bolla*, and the two only look alike by accident.
What is a bowler hat doing here?
Nothing, despite the coincidence. It was named after Thomas and William Bowler, the hatters who made the first one in 1849.
Does bowling mean cricket in America?
No. To an American, bowling means pins. Cricket bowling has to be explained.