arrow

UK /ˈær.əʊ/ US /ˈer.oʊ/ Syllables: ar-row

Pronunciation

Noun A1 Beginner Neutral

A thin, straight stick with a pointed tip, shot from a bow, or a symbol shaped like it that shows direction.

An arrow is a thin, straight stick with a sharp point at one end and feathers at the other, shot from a bow. Hunters and archers use arrows. The word also names a symbol shaped like one that shows direction: an arrow on a sign tells you which way to go, and an arrow key on a keyboard moves the cursor. Arrows appear in maps, charts and diagrams too. To shoot an arrow, you pull back the string of the bow and let it go, and a good archer hits the target.

"Follow the yellow arrows painted on the ground to find the exit."

Meanings

A thin, straight stick with a pointed tip, shot from a bow.
A symbol shaped like an arrow that shows direction.

Example sentences

"The archer pulled back the string and shot an arrow."

Level A2, Meaning 1
"Follow the arrows on the floor to find the exit."

Level A2, Meaning 2
"Press the up arrow key to move the cursor."

Level A2, Meaning 2
"The arrow hit the center of the target."

Level A2, Meaning 1

Look-alikes and common mistakes

dart : A dart is a short pointed missile thrown by hand or blown from a tube. An arrow is longer and is shot from a bow.
pointer : A pointer is a stick or a symbol that shows a place. An arrow is a pointer shaped like a shaft with a head.

Word family and forms

Forms: arrows

arrowhead bow and arrow arrow key arrowroot

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "arrow".

shoot an arrow
a bow and arrow
an arrow sign
follow the arrows
an arrow key
an arrow points

Idioms and phrases

time flies like an arrow: Time passes quickly.; "The holidays were over before we knew it: time flies like an arrow."

Origin

Arrow comes from Middle English arwe and Old English earh, a very old Germanic word that is related to Old Norse or. It may be related to Latin arcus, a bow, and the English word was in use before the year 900.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Arrow has two r's and two w-sounds hidden in one: ar-row. Picture a bow, an arrow and a target.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "The archer pulled back the string and shot an _____."

Answer: arrow

In your own words, what does "arrow" mean?