rowing
rowing Lexical Profile
rowing Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The sport or pastime of propelling a boat through water using oars, either as a competitive race or for recreation and exercise.
"She joined the university rowing team in her freshman year and trained on the river every morning."
British The action of engaging in a noisy argument, quarrel, or heated dispute; a severe reprimand or scolding.
"Their constant rowing over household finances eventually strained their marriage."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Rowing' is a heteronym: when referring to the water sport or propelling a boat with oars, it is pronounced /ˈroʊɪŋ/ (rhyming with 'going'); when referring to the act of quarrelling noisily (chiefly British), it is pronounced /ˈraʊɪŋ/ (rhyming with 'plowing').
• Rhymes for rowing
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The aquatic sense derives from Old English rōwan ('to propel with oars'), of Proto-Germanic origin and distantly related to Latin remus ('oar'). The sense of noisy quarrelling derives from the noun row ('commotion, disturbance'), which emerged in 18th-century British slang.