Bow vs. Stern — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 4, 2023
The bow is the front end of a ship or boat, while the stern is the rear end.
Difference Between Bow and Stern
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
The bow is the forward part of a ship, pointed to reduce water resistance and typically where the vessel is first to meet the waves. It's often characterized by its distinctive shape, which can include a bulbous bow beneath the waterline to improve flow and efficiency.
Conversely, the stern refers to the back part of a ship or boat. It's the last part to pass through the water and can vary in design, with features like flat transoms or rounded aft sections, depending on the vessel’s purpose and the waters it traverses.
In terms of construction and navigation, the bow of a ship is designed to cut through the water and often includes equipment like anchors and bowsprits, while the stern typically houses the steering equipment, such as the rudder, and often the propulsion machinery, like engines and propellers.
Navigationally, mariners refer to the bow when discussing anything forward of the ship's midpoint, using terms like "forward" or "ahead." In contrast, when they refer to the stern, they use terms such as "aft," "astern," or "back."
Culturally, the bow is synonymous with the 'face' of the vessel, often where figureheads or nameplates are displayed, while the stern has traditionally been the site for a ship’s name and port of registry, serving as the ship’s identification from behind.
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Comparison Chart
Location on Vessel
Front end
Rear end
Functional Features
Houses anchors, bowsprits
Contains the rudder, propulsion machinery
Navigational Terms
Forward, ahead
Aft, astern, back
Design Purpose
Designed to cut through water
Designed to follow the water’s flow, accommodate steering
Cultural Significance
Often displays figureheads or nameplates
Traditional location for ship's name and home port
Compare with Definitions
Bow
Front of a ship
The captain stood at the bow, watching the horizon.
Stern
Harsh, grave
His stern expression softened when he laughed.
Bow
A type of knot
She tied a bow in the ribbon.
Stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship.
Bow
A weapon for shooting arrows
She drew her bow and aimed at the target.
Stern
Hard, harsh, or severe in manner or character
A stern disciplinarian.
Bow
A curved musical instrument accessory
The violinist rosined her bow before the concert.
Stern
Showing or expressing displeasure or disapproval; forbidding or harsh
A stern face.
A stern voice.
Bow
A knot tied with two loops and two loose ends, used especially for tying shoelaces and decorative ribbons
A girl with long hair tied back in a bow
Stern
Firm or unyielding; uncompromising
Stern resistance.
Bow
A weapon for shooting arrows, typically made of a curved piece of wood joined at both ends by a taut string.
Stern
Difficult to endure; oppressive
Stern necessity.
Bow
A long, partially curved rod with horsehair stretched along its length, used for playing the violin and other stringed instruments.
Stern
(Nautical) The rear part of a ship or boat.
Bow
A curved stroke forming part of a letter (e.g. b, p).
Stern
A rear part or section.
Bow
A metal ring forming the handle of a key or pair of scissors.
Stern
Having a hardness and severity of nature or manner.
Bow
An act of bending the head or upper body as a sign of respect or greeting
The man gave a little bow
Stern
Grim and forbidding in appearance.
Bow
The front end of a ship
Water sprayed high over her bows
Stern
(nautical) The rear part or after end of a ship or vessel.
Bow
Play (a stringed instrument or music) using a bow
The techniques by which the pieces were bowed
Stern
(figurative) The post of management or direction.
Bow
Bend the head or upper part of the body as a sign of respect, greeting, or shame
He turned and bowed to his father
She knelt and bowed her head
Councillors stood with heads bowed
Stern
The hinder part of anything.
Bow
Bend with age or under pressure
The creepers were bowed down with flowers
The roof trusses bowed as the wind fought to rip the roof free
Stern
The tail of an animal; now used only of the tail of a dog.
Bow
(of a new film or product) be premiered or launched
The trailer bowed in theaters nationwide on December 23
The Pentium III bowed in early 1999
Stern
A bird, the black tern.
Bow
The front section of a ship or boat.
Stern
To steer, to direct the course of (a ship).
Bow
Either of the sides of this front section
The starboard bow.
Stern
To propel or move backward or stern-first in the water.
Bow
The oar or the person wielding the oar closest to the bow in a racing shell.
Stern
The black tern.
Bow
An inclination of the head or body, as in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.
Stern
The helm or tiller of a vessel or boat; also, the rudder.
Bow
A bent, curved, or arched object.
Stern
The after or rear end of a ship or other vessel, or of a boat; the part opposite to the stem, or prow.
Bow
A weapon consisting of a curved, flexible strip of material, especially wood, strung taut from end to end and used to launch arrows.
Stern
Fig.: The post of management or direction.
And sit chiefest stern of public weal.
Bow
An archer.
Stern
The hinder part of anything.
Bow
Archers considered as a group.
Stern
The tail of an animal; - now used only of the tail of a dog.
Bow
(Music) A rod having horsehair drawn tightly between its two raised ends, used in playing instruments of the violin and viol families.
Stern
Having a certain hardness or severity of nature, manner, or aspect; hard; severe; rigid; rigorous; austere; fixed; unchanging; unrelenting; hence, serious; resolute; harsh; as, a sternresolve; a stern necessity; a stern heart; a stern gaze; a stern decree.
The sterne wind so loud gan to rout.
I would outstare the sternest eyes that look.
When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept;Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
Stern as tutors, and as uncles hard.
These barren rocks, your stern inheritance.
Bow
A stroke made by this rod.
Stern
Being in the stern, or being astern; as, the stern davits.
Bow
A knot usually having two loops and two ends; a bowknot.
Stern
The rear part of a ship
Bow
A frame for the lenses of a pair of eyeglasses.
Stern
United States concert violinist (born in Russia in 1920)
Bow
The part of such a frame passing over the ear.
Stern
The fleshy part of the human body that you sit on;
He deserves a good kick in the butt
Are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?
Bow
A rainbow.
Stern
Of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect;
An austere expression
A stern face
Bow
An oxbow.
Stern
Not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty;
Grim determination
Grim necessity
Russia's final hour, it seemed, approached with inexorable certainty
Relentless persecution
The stern demands of parenthood
Bow
To bend or curve downward; stoop.
Stern
Severe and unremitting in making demands;
An exacting instructor
A stern disciplinarian
Strict standards
Bow
To incline the body or head or bend the knee in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.
Stern
Back of a ship
The fishing nets were dragged from the stern.
Bow
To yield in defeat or out of courtesy; submit.
Stern
Severe or strict
The teacher had a stern way of speaking.
Bow
To bend (the head, knee, or body) to express greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.
Stern
Unyielding or firm
She gave a stern refusal to the offer.
Bow
To convey (greeting, for example) by bending the body.
Stern
The end part of something
We reached the stern of the trail and turned back.
Bow
To escort deferentially
Bowed us into the restaurant.
Bow
To cause to acquiesce; submit.
Bow
To overburden
Grief bowed them down.
Bow
To bend (something) into the shape of a bow.
Bow
(Music) To play (a stringed instrument) with a bow.
Bow
To bend into a curve or bow.
Bow
(Music) To play a stringed instrument with a bow.
Bow
A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows.
Bow
A curved bend in a rod or planar surface, or in a linear formation such as a river (see oxbow).
Bow
A rod with horsehair (or an artificial substitute) stretched between the ends, used for playing various stringed musical instruments.
Bow
A stringed instrument (chordophone), consisting of a stick with a single taut cord stretched between the ends, most often played by plucking.
Bow
A type of knot with two loops, used to tie together two cords such as shoelaces or apron strings, and frequently used as decoration, such as in gift-wrapping.
Bow
Anything bent or curved, such as a rainbow.
Bow
The U-shaped piece which goes around the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke.
Bow
Either of the arms of a pair of spectacles, running from the side of the lens to behind the wearer's ear.
Bow
Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging hair, fur, etc., used by hatters.
Bow
(nautical) A crude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea.
Bow
(saddlery) Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree.
Bow
The part of a key that is not inserted into the lock and that is used to turn the key.
Bow
A gesture, usually showing respect, made by inclining the head or bending forward at the waist; a reverence
He made a polite bow as he entered the room.
Bow
(nautical) The front of a boat or ship.
Bow
(rowing) The rower that sits in the seat closest to the bow of the boat.
Bow
Obsolete spelling of bough
Bow
C|en|Foods}} {{alternative form of bao; any of several Chinese buns and breads
Bow
To play music on (a stringed) instrument using a bow.
The musician bowed his violin expertly.
Bow
(intransitive) To become bent or curved.
The shelf bowed under the weight of the books.
Bow
(transitive) To make something bend or curve.
Bow
To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline.
Bow
(intransitive) To bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference.
That singer always bows towards her audience for some reason.
Bow
To debut.
Bow
(intransitive) To defer (to something).
I bow to your better judgement in the matter.
Bow
(transitive) To give a direction, indication, or command to by bowing.
Bow
To cause to deviate from straightness; to bend; to inflect; to make crooked or curved.
We bow things the contrary way, to make them come to their natural straightness.
The whole nation bowed their necks to the worst kind of tyranny.
Bow
To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline.
Adversities do more bow men's minds to religion.
Not to bow and bias their opinions.
Bow
To bend or incline, as the head or body, in token of respect, gratitude, assent, homage, or condescension.
They came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Bow
To cause to bend down; to prostrate; to depress,; to crush; to subdue.
Whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave.
Bow
To express by bowing; as, to bow one's thanks.
Bow
To bend; to curve.
Bow
To stop.
They stoop, they bow down together.
Bow
To bend the head, knee, or body, in token of reverence or submission; - often with down.
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
Bow
To incline the head in token of salutation, civility, or assent; to make bow.
Admired, adored by all circling crowd,For wheresoe'er she turned her face, they bowed.
Bow
To play (music) with a bow.
Bow
An inclination of the head, or a bending of the body, in token of reverence, respect, civility, or submission; an obeisance; as, a bow of deep humility.
Bow
Anything bent, or in the form of a curve, as the rainbow.
I do set my bow in the cloud.
Bow
A weapon made of a strip of wood, or other elastic material, with a cord connecting the two ends, by means of which an arrow is propelled.
Bow
An ornamental knot, with projecting loops, formed by doubling a ribbon or string.
Bow
The U-shaped piece which embraces the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke.
Bow
An appliance consisting of an elastic rod, with a number of horse hairs stretched from end to end of it, used in playing on a stringed instrument.
Bow
An arcograph.
Bow
Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging the hair, fur, etc., used by hatters.
Bow
A rude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea.
Bow
Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree.
Bow
The bending or rounded part of a ship forward; the stream or prow.
Bow
One who rows in the forward part of a boat; the bow oar.
Bow
A knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
Bow
A slightly curved piece of resilient wood with taut horsehair strands, used in playing certain stringed instrument
Bow
Front part of a vessel or aircraft;
He pointed the bow of the boat toward the finish line
Bow
Curved piece of resilient wood with taut cord to propel arrows
Bow
Something curved in shape
Bow
Bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame
Bow
An appearance by actors or performers at the end of the concert or play in order to acknowledge the applause of the audience
Bow
A decorative interlacing of ribbons
Bow
A stroke with a curved piece of wood with taut horsehair strands that is used in playing stringed instruments
Bow
Bend one's knee or body, or lower one's head;
He bowed before the King
She bowed her head in shame
Bow
Submit or yield to another's wish or opinion;
The government bowed to the military pressure
Bow
Bend the head or the upper part of the body in a gesture of respect or greeting;
He bowed before the King
Bow
Bend one's back forward from the waist on down;
He crouched down
She bowed before the Queen
The young man stooped to pick up the girl's purse
Bow
Play on a string instrument
Bow
A gesture of respect
He gave a bow after his performance.
Common Curiosities
Is the bow always pointed?
Yes, the bow is typically pointed to aid in water navigation.
Does the shape of the bow affect speed?
Yes, the bow shape can impact water resistance and thus speed.
Is the term "stern" ever used metaphorically?
Yes, "stern" can describe a person's strict demeanor.
What is a "stern chase"?
A naval term for a pursuit from behind.
Are bows only found on ships?
No, bows are also parts of bows for archery and accessories for musical instruments.
Can "bow" also mean to bend forward?
Yes, it can indicate a gesture of respect or acknowledgment.
Do modern vessels still use figureheads at the bow?
It's rare, as figureheads are mostly historical.
Are bows used in formal greetings?
Yes, especially in cultures where bowing is a traditional greeting.
Can the stern be flat?
Yes, many ships have a flat transom stern.
What is a sternpost?
It's a structural beam at the stern end of a ship.
What's a bowline?
It's a type of knot that forms a fixed loop.
Does the stern include the ship's deck?
The stern includes the back part of the deck.
Are there different types of bows on ships?
Yes, including bulbous, raked, and clipper bows.
Is the stern considered safer in a collision?
Not necessarily; it depends on the nature of the collision.
How is "sternway" different from "stern"?
"Sternway" refers to a ship moving backward.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
