From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbow down phrasal verb1 BENDto bend your body forward, especially when you are already kneeling, in order to show respect before/to etc Maria bowed down before the statue. Come, let us bow down in worship.2 bow down to somebody literaryOBEY to let someone give you orders or tell you what to do – used to show disapproval → bow→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
bow before/to etc• The women and children now catch up their master, and each group in turn bows down before Esau.• But still, because he does not bow down before his own popularity, he retains a certain distance.• And bowed down to resume his strange rump-in-the-air and face-in-the-sea posture.• Thou hast made a graven image and Jeroboam-like wouldst have everyone else bow down before thy calf.• Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you.bow down to somebody• And bowed down to resume his strange rump-in-the-air and face-in-the-sea posture.• Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. 