bowler

IPA/ˈbəʊlə(r)/
KK[bˈolɚ]IPA/ˈbəʊlər/

bowler — noun

  • bowlersingular
  • bowlersplural

1. In cricket, the player whose job is to start each play by sending the ball towar

1.nounB2
Definition

In cricket, the player whose job is to start each play by sending the ball toward the batter.

Example

Eli was his school's opening bowler and kept the batter under pressure.

opening bowler in a cricket match

The captain asked Hoa, the most accurate bowler, to start after lunch.

Common collocations
  • opening bowler
  • lead bowler
  • left-arm bowler
  • deliver an over
Synonyms
  • cricketer

    broader; any player in cricket, not specifically the one delivering the ball

  • thrower

    general action word; not the fixed name of the cricket role

Antonyms
  • batter

    the player who tries to hit the ball

Grammar Patterns

opening bowler

lead bowler

change bowler

Usage Note

This is the broad cricket term for the player who sends the ball to the batter. Senses 2 and 3 name important subtypes based on speed or spin.

Common Mistakes

The bowler threw three strikes in the ninth inning.
The pitcher threw three strikes in the ninth inning.
baseball uses pitcher; this sense of bowler is the cricket player who delivers the ball.
The bowler rolled the ball at the ten pins.
The cricket bowler sent the ball at the batter.
this entry does not cover the ten-pin bowling player sense.

2. In cricket, a kind of bowler that tries to beat the batter mainly through speed.

2.nounB2
Definition

In cricket, a kind of bowler that tries to beat the batter mainly through speed.

Example

Christopher, the fastest bowler on the team, rushed in from the far end.

fastest bowler with a long run-up

Wei replaced the tired opener with a fresh fast bowler after tea.

Common collocations
  • fast bowler
  • opening fast bowler
  • express fast bowler
  • raw pace
Synonyms
  • pace bowler

    common cricket synonym that stresses speed

  • quick

    informal cricket use for a fast bowler

Antonyms
  • spin bowler

    a bowler who relies on turn and variation rather than speed

Grammar Patterns

fast bowler

right-arm fast bowler

left-arm fast bowler

Usage Note

A fast bowler is a subtype of sense 1. The key idea is pace through the air; contrast with sense 3, where the batter is troubled by turn after the ball lands.

Common Mistakes

Our fastest outfielder is a great fast bowler.
Our fastest outfielder has a great throw.
fast bowler is a cricket position, not a general label for anyone who throws hard.

3. In cricket, a kind of bowler that makes the ball turn after it lands so the batt

3.nounC1
Definition

In cricket, a kind of bowler that makes the ball turn after it lands so the batter reads it less easily.

Example

Aylin became the team's main spin bowler after learning two slower deliveries.

spin bowler using slower deliveries

Batters struggled when Rachid, the spin bowler, turned the ball sharply.

spin bowler making the ball turn

Common collocations
  • spin bowler
  • leg-spin bowler
  • off-spin bowler
  • turn the ball
Synonyms
  • spinner

    short cricket term for this type of bowler

  • slow bowler

    broader; often overlaps with spin bowling but focuses on lower speed

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

spin bowler

left-arm spin bowler

off-spin bowler

Usage Note

A spin bowler is also a subtype of sense 1. This sense is about turn, bounce, and slower flight, not simply throwing the ball as hard as possible.

Common Mistakes

The team used a spin bowler because he threw hardest.
The team used a fast bowler because he threw hardest.
a spin bowler wins with turn and control, not mainly with speed.

bowler — noun

1. A stiff felt hat with a rounded crown and a small brim that curves up at the sid

1.nounC1
Definition

A stiff felt hat with a rounded crown and a small brim that curves up at the sides.

Example

Eve wore a black bowler to the costume party as soon as she arrived.

wear a black bowler

The actor tilted his bowler before stepping onto the old London stage.

tilt a bowler as part of costume

Common collocations
  • black bowler
  • wear a bowler
  • tip a bowler
  • brown bowler
Synonyms
  • derby

    common American name for the same style of hat

  • hat

    broader term; a bowler is one particular hat shape

Grammar Patterns

wear a bowler

black bowler

tilt a bowler

Usage Note

This sense usually refers to an older formal British style of hat. In American English, derby is a common equivalent name for the same kind of hat.

Common Mistakes

He bought a bowler for the baseball game.
He bought a cap for the baseball game.
a bowler is a stiff round hat, not a general sports cap.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A bowler is the general cricket word for the player who sends the ball to the batter. Spinner and pace bowler are both narrower terms inside that role. A spinner tries to make the ball turn after it lands, while a pace bowler attacks mainly with speed. Pitcher belongs to baseball, so learners should not swap it into cricket writing. If a report says, 'India changed bowlers after tea,' the word is broad and can include different styles. If the next line says, 'they brought on a spinner,' the writer has moved from the general role to a more exact subtype.

bowler ↗pitcher ↗spinner ↗pace bowler

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglishEnglish surname

The cricket noun was formed in English from bowl plus the ending -er, naming the player who bowls the ball. The hat sense comes from the surname Bowler, after the London hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler, whose design became popular in the nineteenth century. Modern English therefore uses the same spelling for a cricket role and for one particular kind of hat.

First known use

1518

1518, in the meaning defined above Noun (2)