Woman bowing to touch man's feet, 16th century India
- This is about taking a bow (rhymes with ‘now’).
- For using a bow (rhymes with ‘no’) in music, see bow (music).
Bowing means: taking a bow. A bow is when a person bends their body forward from the waist in order to greet someone or show respect for them. A bow is sometimes not much more than a quick nod of the head, but it can be a very deep bow from the waist. The exact way to bow and the situations in which people bow vary enormously between different cultures.