Home / Dictionary / Row

Row Very Common

Row has 14 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Verb · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line

"a row of chairs"

row
2

an angry dispute

"they had a quarrel"

"they had words"

3

a long continuous strip (usually running horizontally)

"a mackerel sky filled with rows of clouds"

"rows of barbed wire protected the trenches"

row
4

(construction) a layer of masonry

"a course of bricks"

5

a linear array of numbers, letters, or symbols side by side

"The spreadsheet required us to input every figure into its own cell within that single row before we could run the calculations."

row
6

a continuous chronological succession without an interruption

"they won the championship three years in a row"

row
7

the act of rowing as a sport

"The team practiced hard on the lake every morning to prepare for their upcoming race in the row."

8

A line of objects, often regularly spaced, such as seats in a theatre, vegetable plants in a garden etc.

"The couple was having such a loud row that their neighbors came out to check on them."

9

An act or instance of rowing.

10

A noisy argument.

In plain English: A row is an argument or fight between people.

"The boat rowed gently down the river."

Verb
1

propel with oars

"row the boat across the lake"

row
2

To propel (a boat or other craft) over water using oars.

"The couple began to row loudly as soon as they walked into the restaurant over who was paying the bill."

3

To argue noisily.

In plain English: To row means to move a boat forward by using oars.

"They rowed across the lake in a small boat."

Usage: Use this verb to describe moving a small boat by manually pulling on oars, distinguishing it from sailing with wind power or driving a motorized vessel. It often appears in phrases like "row across the lake" where human effort is the primary source of propulsion.

Proper Noun
1

A surname​.

"The Row family has owned the bakery on Main Street for three generations."

Example Sentences
"The boat rowed gently down the river." noun
"She sat on the front row of seats to get a better view of the stage." noun
"The heavy wood row in my grandfather's workshop holds dozens of power tools." noun
"We decided to take the boat out for an hour of rowing instead of driving home." noun
"They rowed across the lake in a small boat." verb
See Also
column bookend primary key pivot operation sedilium bottom dido portative organ
Related Terms
column bookend primary key pivot operation sedilium bottom dido portative organ guard of honour pull rowboater kinety multirow midrow oar theatre terrace quadragintireme cast off tubbing
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
line dispute strip layer array sequence sport boat
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
serration terrace affray bicker bust-up damp-proof course row of bricks crab sculling stroke feather pull scull

Origin

The word row comes from Old English and originally meant a streak or line. It traveled into modern English with this sense of an orderly arrangement rather than the current meaning of moving in water or arguing.

Rhyming Words
prow grow arow brow frow crow trow mrow drow shrow scrow serow karow arrow throw strow ingrow narrow garrow edgrow
Compare
Row vs