Phrasal verb
bowl out
Definition
phrasal verb. to end a player's turn in cricket by hitting the wicket with the ball.
phrasal verb. to dismiss a batsman by delivering a ball that hits the wicket; a transitive phrasal verb specific to the sport of cricket.
Examples
“The star player was bowled out for zero.”
“The fast bowler managed to bowl out the final three batsmen in just one over.”
“Despite a resilient opening partnership, the visiting team was eventually bowled out for a modest total before the tea break.”
Examples
simple
“The star player was bowled out for zero.”
contextual
“The fast bowler managed to bowl out the final three batsmen in just one over.”
complex
“Despite a resilient opening partnership, the visiting team was eventually bowled out for a modest total before the tea break.”
Usage
often used in the passive voice when referring to the player or the whole team.
Teaching tip
this is highly technical sports vocabulary; use it to demonstrate how phrasal verbs can have very specific meanings within professional or cultural niches.
Pitfall
The team was bowl out early.
The team was bowled out early.
as a regular verb, the past participle 'bowled' must be used in passive constructions.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out
Separability
optional
Pattern
bowl + object + out