Real Dictionary

bow bending or submitting
verb: When you bow to someone, you briefly bend your body towards them as a formal way of greeting them or showing respect.

bow in American English 1
to bend
to bend or stoop
intransitive verb: to bend the knee or body or incline the head, as in reverence, submission, salutation, recognition, or acknowledgment
transitive verb: to bend or incline (the knee, body, or head) in worship, submission, respect, civility, agreement, etc.

bow in American English 2
the front part of a ship, boat, or airship; prow
to bend into the form of a bow; curve
adjective: curved outward at the center; bent
noun: a flexible strip of wood or other material, bent by a string stretched between its ends, for shooting arrows

bow in American English 3
anything curved or bent
noun: the forward end of a vessel or airship

Bow in British English
noun: Clara, known as the It Girl. 1905–65, US film actress, noted for her vivacity and sex appeal

bow in British English 1
verb: to lower (one's head) or bend (one's knee or body) as a sign of respect, greeting, assent, or shame

bow in British English 2
noun: a weapon for shooting arrows, consisting of an arch of flexible wood, plastic, metal, etc bent by a string (bowstring) fastened at each end

bow in British English 3
noun: the forward end or part of a vessel

bow objects
countable noun: A bow is a knot with two loops and two loose ends that is used in tying shoelaces and ribbons.
countable noun: A bow is a weapon for shooting arrows which consists of a long piece of curved wood with a string attached to both its ends.
countable noun: The bow of a violin or other stringed instrument is a long thin piece of wood with fibres stretched along it, which you move across the strings of the instrument in order to play it.

bow part of a ship
countable noun: The front part of a ship is called the bow or the bows. The plural bows can be used to refer either to one or to more than one of these parts.