1. plural of downbow; strokes made by drawing a bow downward across the strings of a stringed instrument, or the marks indicating such strokes in musical notation.
Usage: music; technical

Examples

• The violinist used downbows to create a stronger, more powerful sound in the opening passage.
• The sheet music indicated several downbows with the symbol that looks like a V.
• In the first measure, all the notes should be played with downbows.
• The conductor emphasized the downbows to ensure the entire section played with unified bowing.
• Cellists often alternate between upbows and downbows to maintain smooth phrasing.