bowling green: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowFormal, Historical, Technical (sports)
Quick answer
What does “bowling green” mean?
A finely mown, level, rectangular grass area used for playing the sport of bowls.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A finely mown, level, rectangular grass area used for playing the sport of bowls.
A town or city square, park, or public green space, often historically used for bowling, or a place name derived from such a location.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In the UK, it is strongly associated with the traditional sport of lawn bowls. In the US, it is more commonly recognized as a place name (e.g., cities in Kentucky and Ohio) or a feature in historical contexts.
Connotations
UK: Tradition, leisure, older demographics, village greens. US: Geography, history, less commonly associated with the active sport.
Frequency
Higher frequency in UK English due to the active culture of lawn bowls. In US English, the term is more often encountered in historical or geographical contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “bowling green” in a Sentence
The [adjective] bowling green is located [prepositional phrase].They maintain/play on/renovate the bowling green.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “bowling green” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The club members will bowling green the new turf next spring.
- They are bowling greening the old court.
American English
- The city plans to bowling green the historic square.
adjective
British English
- The bowling-green surface was impeccable.
- He joined a bowling-green society.
American English
- The tour included a visit to the Bowling Green district.
- They admired the bowling-green quality lawn.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in tourism or leisure facility management.
Academic
Used in historical, geographical, or sports history texts.
Everyday
Used when discussing the sport of bowls or referring to specific place names.
Technical
Specific to turf management and the rules/specifications of lawn bowls.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “bowling green”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “bowling green”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “bowling green”
- Using 'bowling green' to refer to a ten-pin bowling alley. Misspelling as 'bowling *grean'. Using incorrect prepositions (e.g., 'in the bowling green' instead of 'on the bowling green').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A bowling green is a grassy area for lawn bowls. A bowling alley is an indoor facility with lanes for ten-pin bowling.
They are often named after a historical public green or square where the sport of lawn bowls was played in the 17th or 18th centuries.
It can be used metaphorically (e.g., 'The field was as flat as a bowling green'), but technically it refers specifically to a facility for the sport.
The sport is called lawn bowls, or simply bowls. Players roll biased balls (called 'bowls') to get close to a smaller target ball (the 'jack').
A finely mown, level, rectangular grass area used for playing the sport of bowls.
Bowling green is usually formal, historical, technical (sports) in register.
Bowling green: in British English it is pronounced /ˈbəʊ.lɪŋ ˌɡriːn/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈboʊ.lɪŋ ˌɡriːn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “As flat as a bowling green.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a very GREEN, perfectly flat LAWN where people BOWL (roll balls).
Conceptual Metaphor
A bowling green is a METAPHOR FOR A PERFECTLY LEVEL AND ORDERED SPACE.
Practice
Quiz
What is a 'bowling green' primarily used for?