What does "row" mean?
A line of objects, often regularly spaced, such as seats in a theatre, vegetable plants in a garden, etc.
Row
/ˈɹəʊ/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A line of objects, often regularly spaced, such as seats in a theatre, vegetable plants in a garden, etc.
- Grammar: row is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: quarrel, ado, advance, affray.
- Useful contrasts: agree, chaos, col.
- Usage evidence: I've staked out places for us in the front row of the auditorium.
How to use "row"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "row" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "row" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "row" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "row" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "row" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "quarrel" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "row", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A line of objects, often regularly spaced, such as seats in a theatre, vegetable plants in a garden, etc.
"And there were windows in three rows."
- 2 An act or instance of rowing.
"I went for an early-morning row."
- 3 A noisy argument.
"There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row."
- 4 Initialism of run of week. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 5 Initialism of rest of world abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 the act of rowing as a sport wordnet
- 7 A horizontal line of entries in a table, etc., going from left to right, as opposed to a column going from top to bottom.
- 8 Any of several thematically similar exercise movements performed with a pulling motion of the arms towards the back.
- 9 A continual loud noise.
"Who's making that row?"
- 10 Initialism of rest of world. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 11 (construction) a layer of masonry wordnet
- 12 Clipping of cornrow. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, in-plural, slang
"Vyreen had just finished braiding my hair, and his call had caught me coming out of her crib with my 'rows looking tight."
- 13 Initialism of right of way. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
"In some of these areas, the road ROWs are also adjacent to existing aboveground MVEC distribution lines, which are shown on maps in Appendix A. […] Great River Energy will require a new 100-foot-wide ROW for construction and maintenance of the Transmission Line."
- 14 a continuous chronological succession without an interruption wordnet
- 15 an angry dispute wordnet
- 16 an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line wordnet
- 17 a linear array of numbers, letters, or symbols side by side wordnet
- 18 a long continuous strip (usually running horizontally) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To propel (a boat or other craft) over water using oars. intransitive, transitive
- 2 To argue noisily. intransitive
- 3 propel with oars wordnet
- 4 To transport in a boat propelled with oars. transitive
"to row the captain ashore in his barge"
- 5 To be moved by oars. intransitive
"The boat rows easily."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 Ellipsis of Paternoster Row, a former street in London, England, that was a centre of the publishing trade. abbreviation, alt-of, colloquial, ellipsis, historical
- 3 Ellipsis of Savile Row, a street in London, England, known for its traditional bespoke tailoring. abbreviation, alt-of, colloquial, ellipsis
"Three points about this unobtrusive person showed promptly to the exercised eye that he was not a Row man pur sang. First, an irrepressible wrinkle or two in the waist of his frock-coat—denoting that he had not damned his tailor sufficiently to drive that tradesman up to the orthodox high pressure of cunning workmanship."
Example
"I've staked out places for us in the front row of the auditorium."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "row"?
Common synonyms include: quarrel, ado, advance, affray, agitation, align.
How do you use "row" in a sentence?
I've staked out places for us in the front row of the auditorium.
How do you pronounce "row"?
Pronounced /ˈɹəʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English rewe, rowe, rawe, from Old English rǣw, rāw, probably from Proto-Germanic *raiwō, *raigwō, *raih- (“row, streak, line”), from Proto-Indo-European *reyk- (“to carve, scratch, etch”). Cognate with Scots raw (“row”), dialectal Norwegian rå (“boundary line”), Saterland Frisian Riege (“row”), West Frisian rige (“row”), Dutch rij (“row, line”), German Low German Reeg, Riege, Rieg (“row”), German Reihe (“row”), German Riege (“sports team”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English rowen (“to row”), from Old English rōwan (“to row”), from Proto-Germanic *rōaną (“to row”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- (“to row”). Compare West Frisian roeie, Dutch roeien, Danish ro. More at rudder. Related to Russia.
Etymology 3
Unclear; some suggest it is a back-formation from rouse, verb.
Etymology 4
English surname, variant of Rowe.