A bow having limbs made of more than one material (i.e, wood, fiberglass reinforced plastic, graphite, etc.).

A composite bow is a bow made from various materials laminated together, usually applied under tension. Different materials are used in order to take advantage of the properties of each material. Materials particularly resistant to compression, such as horn, antler, or compression resistant woods such as osage orange, hornbeam, or yew, are used on the belly of the bow (the part facing the archer when shooting) while materials that are very strong under tension, such as sinew, silk or sinew cables, or tough wood like hickory, are used on the back of the bow (the part facing away from the archer when shooting).