row

1 of 6

verb (1)

rowed; rowing; rows

intransitive verb

1
: to propel a boat by means of oars
2
: to move by or as if by the propulsion of oars

transitive verb

1
a
: to propel with or as if with oars
b(1)
: to participate in (a rowing match)
(2)
: to compete against in rowing
(3)
: to pull (an oar) in a crew
2
: to transport in an oar-propelled boat
rower noun

row

2 of 6

noun (1)

: an act or instance of rowing

row

3 of 6

noun (2)

1
: a number of objects arranged in a usually straight line
a row of bottles
also : the line along which such objects are arranged
planted the corn in parallel rows
2
a
: way, street
b
: a street or area dominated by a specific kind of enterprise or occupancy
doctors' row
3
4
a
: a continuous strip usually running horizontally or parallel to a baseline
b
: a horizontal arrangement of items

row

4 of 6

verb (2)

rowed; rowing; rows

transitive verb

: to form into rows

row

5 of 6

noun (3)

: a noisy disturbance or quarrel

row

6 of 6

verb (3)

rowed; rowing; rows

intransitive verb

: to engage in a row : have a quarrel
Phrases
in a row
: one after another : successively

Examples of row in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
All-encompassing luxury among the remaining manual luxury cars tends not to be the highest priority, and instead driving dynamics and power, for the hardcore buyers who still want to row their own in a modern car. Kyle Hyatt, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024 Another is that rowing on the water has its limitations: weather, convenience and price, for instance. Stephanie Kanowitz, Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 The starting point is an abstract representation of a canoe, which, since the earliest Samoans rowed to shore from other islands, signals the start of Samoan society. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024 But a funny thing happened along the way, as wealthy hobbyists turned dressage and rowing into status symbols of a life of leisure spent mastering the old ways. Bychloe Berger, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2024 There’s also great play with scale: Various puppet versions of Shackleton, from the tiny to the enormous, pop up to encourage Ernie along the way, and a wooden figure rowing its own little boat appears tiny at a distance, then rows into view at full size. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Jan. 2024 Driven by her deep faith — and a seemingly boundless store of energy — she’s become an outspoken advocate for children affected by the disease and has helped raise more than $90,000 for the Children’s Tumor Foundation and for NF research by running, rowing and organizing events for the cause. Eileen Finan, Peoplemag, 4 Feb. 2024 Despite all these benefits, rowing machines on the gym floor haven’t seen much use in recent years, Miller said. Stephanie Kanowitz, Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 Crew is a noun that means a group of people who row together: a rowing team. John Kelly, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2023
Noun
American Wyndham Clark blitzed through his final nine holes at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course – rattling off four birdies in a row before adding two more – to card a second consecutive seven-under 65 and take a four shot cushion into the weekend in Florida. Jack Bantock, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 For the second year in a row, the Greenberg administration released the names of those attending through open records requests. Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 15 Mar. 2024 This is the second year in a row that Softee has made our Best of SXSW list — don’t sleep on her music. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 For the second year in a row, two Texas metropolitan areas are leading the country in terms of growth. Chris Morris, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024 Sears retired nine in a row after allowing a first-inning RBI double by Seiya Suzuki, enabling him to lower his Cactus League-leading ERA to 2.08. Jon Becker, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 Sunday’s win was Boston’s 11th in a row – the C’s have outscored their opponents by an average of 22.1 points per game during this winning streak, per the organization. Sam Joseph, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Now in its second year in a row at the same venue, could last year’s hosts Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks return for 2024’s show? Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 Phoenix's heat deaths grew the last three years in a row. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'row.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Old English rōwan; akin to Middle High German rüejen to row, Latin remus oar

Noun (2)

Middle English rawe; akin to Old English rǣw row, Old High German rīga line, and perhaps to Sanskrit rikhati he scratches

Noun (3)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1767, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1582, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1746, in the meaning defined above

Verb (3)

1797, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of row was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near row

Cite this Entry

“Row.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/row. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

row

1 of 5 verb
1
: to move a boat by means of oars
2
: to travel or carry in a rowboat
3
: to pull an oar in a crew
rower noun

row

2 of 5 noun
: an act or instance of rowing

row

3 of 5 noun
1
a
: a series of persons or things arranged in a usually straight line
especially : a horizontal arrangement of items
b
: the line along which such objects are arranged
planted the corn in parallel rows
2

row

4 of 5 noun
ˈrau̇
: a noisy disturbance or quarrel

row

5 of 5 verb
: to have a row : fight, quarrel
Etymology

Verb

Old English rōwan "to propel a boat with oars"

Noun

Middle English rawe "a number of objects arranged in a line"

Noun

origin unknown

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