rows

row 1

 (rō)
n.
1. A series of objects placed next to each other, usually in a straight line.
2. A succession without a break or gap in time: won the title for three years in a row.
3. A line of adjacent seats, as in a theater, auditorium, or classroom.
4. A continuous line of buildings along a street.
tr.v. rowed, row·ing, rows
To place in a row.
Idiom:
a tough row to hoe Informal
A difficult situation to endure.

[Middle English, from Old English rāw.]

row 2

 (rō)
v. rowed, row·ing, rows
v.intr. Nautical
To use an oar or pair of oars in propelling a boat, typically by facing the stern and pulling the oar handle toward oneself, using an oarlock as a fulcrum to push the blade backward through the water repeatedly.
v.tr.
1. Nautical
a. To propel (a boat) with oars.
b. To carry in or on a boat propelled by oars.
c. To use (a specified number of oars or people deploying them).
2. To propel or convey in a manner resembling rowing of a boat.
3. Sports
a. To pull (an oar) as part of a racing crew.
b. To race against by rowing.
n. Nautical
1.
a. The act or an instance of rowing.
b. A shift at the oars of a boat.
2. A trip or an excursion in a rowboat.

[Middle English rowen, from Old English rōwan; see erə- in Indo-European roots.]

row′er n.

row 3

 (rou)
n.
1. A noisy or quarrel or disturbance.
2. A loud noise.
intr.v. rowed, row·ing, rows
To take part in a noisy quarrel or disturbance.

[Origin unknown.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

rows

  • tubular bells - The orchestral instrument consisting of a row of vertically suspended metal tubes struck with a mallet.
  • bib necklace - One consisting of three or more rows.
  • mackerel sky - One with rows of white fluffy clouds resembling the pattern on a mackerel's back.
  • ordinance - First meant arrangement in ranks or rows.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
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