row

¹

[ roh ]

noun

1. a number of persons or things arranged in a line, especially a straight line:

   a row of apple trees.

2. a line of persons or things so arranged:

   The petitioners waited in a row.

3. a line of adjacent seats facing the same way, as in a theater:

   seats in the third row of the balcony.

4. a street formed by two continuous lines of buildings.
5. Music. tone row.
6. Checkers. one of the horizontal lines of squares on a checkerboard; rank.

verb (used with object)

1. to put in a row (often followed by up ).

row

²

[ roh ]

verb (used without object)

1. to propel a vessel by the leverage of an oar or the like.

verb (used with object)

1. to propel (a vessel) by the leverage of an oar or the like.
2. to convey in a boat that is rowed.
3. to convey or propel (something) in a manner suggestive of rowing.
4. to require, use, or be equipped with (a number of oars):

   The captain's barge rowed twenty oars.

5. to use (oarsmen) for rowing.
6. to perform or participate in by rowing:

   to row a race.

7. to row against in a race:

   Oxford rows Cambridge.

noun

1. an act, instance, or period of rowing:

   It was a long row to the far bank.

2. an excursion in a rowboat:

   to go for a row.

row

³

[ rou ]

noun

1. a noisy dispute or quarrel; commotion.

   Synonyms: set-to, scrape, scrap, tiff, spat

2. noise or clamor.

verb (used without object)

1. to quarrel noisily.

verb (used with object)

1. Chiefly British. to upbraid severely; scold.

row

¹

/ raʊ /

noun

1. a noisy quarrel or dispute
2. a noisy disturbance; commotion

   we couldn't hear the music for the row next door

3. a reprimand
4. give someone a row informal.
   to scold someone; tell someone off

verb

1. introften foll bywith to quarrel noisily
2. archaic.
   tr to reprimand

row

²

/ rəʊ /

verb

1. to propel (a boat) by using oars
2. tr to carry (people, goods, etc) in a rowing boat
3. to be propelled by means of (oars or oarsmen)
4. intr to take part in the racing of rowing boats as a sport, esp in eights, in which each member of the crew pulls one oar Compare scull
5. tr to race against in a boat propelled by oars

   Oxford row Cambridge every year

noun

1. an act, instance, period, or distance of rowing
2. an excursion in a rowing boat

row

³

/ rəʊ /

noun

1. an arrangement of persons or things in a line

   a row of chairs

2. 1. a street, esp a narrow one lined with identical houses
   2. ( capital when part of a street name )

      Church Row

3. a line of seats, as in a cinema, theatre, etc
4. maths a horizontal linear arrangement of numbers, quantities, or terms, esp in a determinant or matrix
5. a horizontal rank of squares on a chessboard or draughtboard
6. in a row
   in succession; one after the other

   he won two gold medals in a row

7. a hard row to hoe
   a difficult task or assignment

Derived Forms

• ˈrower, noun
• ˈrowing, noun

Other Words From

• rowa·ble adjective
• rower noun
• under·rower noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of row¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English reue, reuwe, rou(e) “row, line, rank (line of soldiers),” Old English rǣw, rāw; akin to Middle Dutch rije, Middle High German rīhe, German Reihe “row”

Origin of row²

First recorded before 950; Middle English rouen, rouwen, Old English rōwan “to go by water, sail, row”; cognate with Old Norse rōa; akin to Latin rēmus, Greek eretmón, both meaning “oar”; rudder

Origin of row³

First recorded in 1740–50; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of row¹

C18: origin unknown

Origin of row²

Old English rōwan ; related to Middle Dutch roien , Middle High German rüejen , Old Norse rōa , Latin rēmus oar

Origin of row³

Old English rāw, rǣw ; related to Old High German rīga line, Lithuanian raiwe strip

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. hard / long row to hoe, a difficult task or set of circumstances to confront:

   At 32 and with two children, she found attending medical school a hard row to hoe.

More idioms and phrases containing row

see get one's ducks in a row ; kick up a fuss (row) ; skid row ; tough row to hoe .

Example Sentences

In the first of those cases, a trial judge determined that Melissa Lucio, one of the few women on death row in the United States, is, despite her 2008 conviction of murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, “actually innocent.”

From Slate

It concluded that there is no such basis and, innocent or not, Roberson, who has been on death row for more than 20 years, can be put to death.

From Slate

Americans might think that evidence of innocence would be enough to get someone released from prison or death row.

From Slate

The Vatican has blocked discussions over women’s rights at the UN climate summit following a row over gay and transgender issues, sources have told BBC News.

From BBC

Tory MPs Graham Stuart and Alex Burghart - who was standing in for opposition leader Kemi Badenoch at the weekly Commons session - and Reform UK's Lee Anderson all made reference to the row when putting questions to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

From BBC

Related Words

• controversy
• dispute
• quarrel
• squabble
• trouble