row

Alternative forms

• rew (dialectal)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: rō, IPA^(key): /ˈɹəʊ/
• (US) enPR: rō, IPA^(key): /ˈɹoʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophones: rho, roe
• Rhymes: -əʊ

Noun

row (plural rows)

1. A line of objects, often regularly spaced, such as seats in a theatre, vegetable plants in a garden, etc.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Kings vii:4:

     And there were windows in three rows.

   • 1646 (indicated as 1645), John Milton, “At a Solemn Musick”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], →OCLC:

     The bright seraphim in burning row.

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.

2. A horizontal line of entries in a table, etc., going from left to right, as opposed to a column going from top to bottom.

   Antonym: column

3. (slang, chiefly in the plural) Clipping of cornrow.
   • 2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 25:

     Vyreen had just finished braiding my hair, and his call had caught me coming out of her crib with my 'rows looking tight.

   • 2015 October 22, Stefan Bondy, “Kristaps Porzingis had cornrows as a kid because 'all the girls loved it'”, in New York Daily News‎, New York, N.Y.: Daily News L.P., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-01-18:

     If you thought it'd be hard to get a good cornrow braiding in Latvia, think again. Porzingis said he was re-braided almost every week to keep his rows fresh.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: rō, IPA^(key): /ɹəʊ/
• (US) enPR: rō, IPA^(key): /ɹoʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophones: rho, roe
• Rhymes: -əʊ

Verb

row (third-person singular simple present rows, present participle rowing, simple past and past participle rowed)

1. (transitive or intransitive, nautical) To propel (a boat or other craft) over water using oars.

   Synonym: paddle

2. (transitive) To transport in a boat propelled with oars.

   to row the captain ashore in his barge

3. (intransitive) To be moved by oars.

   The boat rows easily.

Noun

row (plural rows)

1. An act or instance of rowing.

   I went for an early-morning row.

2. (weightlifting) An exercise performed with a pulling motion of the arms towards the back.

Pronunciation

• enPR: rou, IPA^(key): /ɹaʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊ

Noun

row (plural rows)

2. A noisy argument.

   Synonyms: argument, disturbance, fight, fracas, quarrel, shouting match, slanging match

   There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     In the autumn there was a row at some cement works about the unskilled labour men. A union had just been started for them and all but a few joined. One of these blacklegs was laid for by a picket and knocked out of time.

   • 1923, P.G. Wodehouse, The Inimitable Jeeves:

     As a rule, you see, I'm not lugged into Family Rows. On the occasions when Aunt is calling to Aunt like mastodons bellowing across primeval swamps and Uncle James's letter about Cousin Mabel's peculiar behaviour is being shot round the family circle... the clan has a tendency to ignore me.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 18, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     ‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […] ? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?

   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, page 27:

     […] he wrote to me last week telling me about an incredible bitch of a row blazing there on account of someone having been and gone and produced an unofficial magazine called Raddled, full of obscene libellous Oz-like filth. And what I though, what Sammy and I thought, was—why not?

3. A continual loud noise.

   Synonyms: din, racket

   Who's making that row?

Verb

row (third-person singular simple present rows, present participle rowing, simple past and past participle rowed)

2. (intransitive) To argue noisily.

   Synonyms: argue, fight

Declension

Usage notes

Part of the substantive verb bee. This is the dependent form of the past tense va used after negative and interrogative particles:

Declension

Strong ō-stem:

Descendants

• Middle English: ro, rou, rowe, roo
  • English: roo
  • Scots: ro, ruve

Derived terms

• row-cloth: a folding cloak of warm cloth

Declension