Bowstring

//ˈboʊ.stɹɪŋ// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The string of an archer's bow.

    "For an instant he glanced along the polished shaft, drawing the bowstring far back, that the arrow might pierce through the heart for which it was aimed."

  2. 2
    the string of an archer's bow wordnet
  3. 3
    The string of an archer's bow, as used by the Turks for strangling offenders. historical
Verb
  1. 1
    To strangle with a bowstring. transitive

    "When the day broke […] it was high time for her to get up and be bowstrung—a thing very little more pleasant than hanging, only a trifle more genteel."

Synonyms

All synonyms
burncrucifydecapitateexecutegarroteguillotine

Example

More examples

"The archer drew back his bowstring and released the arrow with deadly precision."

Etymology

From bow + string.

Related phrases

bowstring bridgebowstring girderbowstring hempbowstring knot

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.