arrow

noun
ar·​row | \ ˈer-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce arrow (audio) , ˈa-(ˌ)rō\
plural arrows

Definition of arrow

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a missile shot from a bow and usually having a slender shaft, a pointed head, and feathers at the butt
2 : something shaped like an arrow especially : a mark (as on a map or signboard) to indicate direction
3 : a painful or damaging experience or occurrence that is likened to being shot with an arrow … to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune …— William Shakespeare

arrow

verb
arrowed; arrowing; arrows

Definition of arrow (Entry 2 of 2)

1a intransitive : to move fast and straight like an arrow in flight Just below us, a hunting peregrine falcon arrowed across the sere fields …— Tom Mueller
b transitive : to hit or throw (something) toward a target fast and straight like an arrow Mia Hamm … doesn't even look up as she arrows a pass to her teammate with almost telepathic confidence.— David Hirshey
2 transitive chiefly US : to shoot (an animal) with an arrow In the spring, only boy turkeys can be shot or arrowed.— Fred LeBrun

Illustration of arrow

Illustration of arrow

Noun

arrow 1

In the meaning defined above

Examples of arrow in a Sentence

Noun

The arrow on the map points north.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The event will celebrate the traditions of Pala with demonstrations, including bird songs, shinny games, peon and bow and arrow making. San Diego Union-Tribune, "Assistance League chapter installs officers," 26 Aug. 2019 The arrow board sign was knocked into the middle travel lane. Martin Weil, Washington Post, "Manassas, Va. man killed on I-64 trying to get his dog, state police say," 26 Aug. 2019 Not all, but most, Volvos have a distinctive grille featuring a diagonal chrome strip with an arrow badge centered and pointing northeast. David Krumboltz, The Mercury News, "Me & My Car: Pleasanton man’s ’73 Volvo made in last model year," 12 Aug. 2019 But the fact that time’s arrow is irreversible, so that hot coffee cools down but never spontaneously heats up, isn’t written into the underlying laws that govern the motion of the molecules in the coffee. Wired, "Fractal Patterns Offer Clues to the Universe's Origin," 11 Aug. 2019 The caps lock key is half size, the arrow keys are surrounded by home and end keys, and worst of all, the delete key is found right next to the backspace key, with no space between them. Dan Seifert, The Verge, "Acer Swift 7 review: thin at all costs," 2 Aug. 2019 But the fact that time’s arrow is irreversible, so that hot coffee cools down but never spontaneously heats up, isn’t written into the underlying laws that govern the motion of the molecules in the coffee. Quanta Magazine, "The Universal Law That Aims Time’s Arrow," 1 Aug. 2019 Scan Mode will now turn on automatically, enabling the arrow keys to help users scroll through emails. Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Windows 10's latest preview takes steps toward a more conversational Cortana," 26 July 2019 In the photo above, the lower arrow points to one of two shrouded propellers—standard on Romeo-class submarines—with one located on each side of the hull. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "A Closer Look at North Korea's "New" Missile Submarine," 23 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

After an eventful stretch—that included becoming a father and dealing with a vexing injury—Fritz is back in the top 75 and arrowing upward. Jon Wertheim, SI.com, "40 Parting Thoughts from the 2018 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells," 18 Mar. 2018 As in the first half, Peru made the better start to the second and midfielder Pedro Aquino arrowed a long-distance rocket onto Lloris's upright. Peter Stebbings, chicagotribune.com, "France eliminate Peru from World Cup, advance to Round of 16," 21 June 2018 Midfielder Gazinsky gave his country the perfect start, arrowing a header into the bottom corner in the 12th minute with his first effort on target, and substitute Cherushev doubled the hosts' advantage just before the break. Aimee Lewis, CNN, "Russia opens World Cup 2018 with thumping win over Saudi Arabia," 14 June 2018 To see a small thin dog arrowing through the air at highway speeds, resistant to gravity, its forelegs out, its hind legs trailing, its thin proud snout straining forward, is to experience a brief moment of déjà vu. Christopher Solomon, Outside Online, "This Whippet Is One of the World's Great Athletes," 18 June 2018 From the middle of the front row, Cogan’s car suddenly swerved right, bumped living legend A.J. Foyt, then arrowed across left into also living legend Mario Andretti. David J. Neal, miamiherald, "Here are the six best Indy 500s ever — by generation | Miami Herald," 25 May 2018 Ribery, who at 35 years of age was at times providing flashbacks to his peak, picked the ball up on the left and cut infield, before arrowing a ball into Robert Lewandowski's feet. CNN, "Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich to reach fourth Champions League final in five years," 1 May 2018 In combat, Atreus fires arrows that draw the attention of enemies, which cause damage and give Kratos a valuable opportunity to strike while his opponents are distracted. Scott Meslow, GQ, "How God of War Redeems the Worst Kind of Video Game Mission," 18 Apr. 2018 The midfielder took one touch, before arrowing the ball into the corner -- reminiscent of many a Steven Gerrard goal in front of the Kop on a Champions League night. Matias Grez, CNN, "Liverpool stun Manchester City to take commanding lead in Champions League tie," 4 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arrow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of arrow

Noun

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

Verb

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1(a)

History and Etymology for arrow

Noun

Middle English arwe, from Old English; akin to Goth arhwazna arrow, Latin arcus bow, arch, arc

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for arrow

arrow

noun

English Language Learners Definition of arrow

: a weapon that is made to be shot from a bow and that is usually a stick with a point at one end and feathers at the other end
: a mark (such as →) that is shaped like an arrow and that is used to show direction

arrow

noun
ar·​row | \ ˈer-ō How to pronounce arrow (audio) \

Kids Definition of arrow

1 : a weapon that is shot from a bow and is usually a stick with a point at one end and feathers at the other
2 : a mark to show direction Follow the arrows on the signs.

Keep scrolling for more