bowling
/bu.liŋ/masculine
The English phrase "bowling" is translated into French as bowling.
bowling refers to the game played by rolling a ball down an alley. Other related terms include le strike for a strike, le spare for a spare and les chaussures de bowling for bowling shoes.
Meaning: a game played by rolling a ball down an alley (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, the phrase Le jeu de quilles américain is used mainly to differentiate between different variations of the game.
How does it change in a sentence?
bowling is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /bu.liŋ/.
Did you know?
- In France, the word bowling is often used as a shorthand to refer specifically to the building or the bowling alley itself, rather than just the sport.
- A French speaker might use the verb jouer aux quilles to describe the act of bowling, rather than using the English-derived word.
- While the sport is called bowling in France, the word quilles is often used to describe the actual pins that are knocked down.
Examples in context
- Tu aimes le bowling ?Do you like bowling?This sentence is useful for asking if someone likes bowling.Tatoeba #2004986 by Mutusen, translation #953201 by CK
- Es-tu bon au bowling ?Are you good at bowling?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is good at bowling.Tatoeba #10215808 by lbdx, translation #6887139 by CK
- Nous allons au bowling.We're going bowling.This sentence is useful for saying that you are going to a bowling alley.Tatoeba #11264604 by felix63, translation #5944698 by Hybrid
- Allons au bowling !Let's go bowling!
- J'adore jouer au jeu de quilles, surtout avec mes amis !I love playing bowling, especially with my friends!
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are deciding what to do on Saturday night.
- GabrielOn va faire du bowling ce samedi ?Shall we go bowling this Saturday?
- EmmaOui, c'est une excellente idée, Gabriel.Yes, that is an excellent idea, Gabriel.
- GabrielTu veux que je réserve la piste ?Do you want me to reserve the lane?
- EmmaOui, s'il te plaît, fais-le pour nous.Yes, please, do it for us.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bowling” translations and entries bowling, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bowling, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
