British English: row /raʊ/ NOUN. argument A row is a serious disagreement or noisy argument. There was a diplomatic row between the two countries. American English: quarrel /ˈkwɔrəl/ argument.
Examples of row in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word row. Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Middle English, from Old English rōwan; akin to Middle High German rüejen to row, Latin remus oar
Middle English rawe; akin to Old English rǣw row, Old High German rīga line, and perhaps to Sanskrit rikhati he scratches
origin unknown First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
1767, in the meaning defined above
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
1582, in the meaning defined above
1746, in the meaning defined above
1797, in the meaning defined above Time Traveler
Articles Related to row
“Row.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/row. Accessed 9 Apr. 2024.
Old English rōwan “to propel a boat with oars”
Middle English rawe “a number of objects arranged in a line”
ROW – Meaning and Pronunciation
FAQ
What does rows mean in British English?
Why do Brits call an argument a row?
What does in a row mean UK?
What does row stand for in UK?
What does row Mean in British slang?
A row of flowers, row a boat, (roe). A ‘row’ meaning an argument is a ‘rə́w’. Also, not ‘slang’. Degree in biology and folklore; programmer, shop owner, secretary on newspaper Author has 48.1K answers and 346.3M answer views 1 y What does sod mean in British slang? Sod can be a clump of earth and grass.
Is ‘row’ a Britishism?
“Row”–defined by the OED as “a noisy or violent argument”–is a useful word, being roughly in the middle between “fight,” on the one hand, and “quarrel” or “argument,” on the other. It is definitely a Britishism–or at least, has been one since about 1930, according to this Ngram viewer chart. (The OED ‘s first citation is from 1746.)
What does it mean if two people have a row?
A row is a serious disagreement between people or organizations. This is likely to provoke a further row about the bank’s role in the affair. The ministers must have realized that they risked what could be a major diplomatic row with France. If two people have a row, they have a noisy argument .