an act or instance of towing.
something being towed.
something, as a boat or truck, that tows.
a rope, chain, metal bar, or other device for towing.
The trailer is secured to the car by a metal tow.
in tow,
in the state of being towed.
under one's guidance; in one's charge.
as a follower, admirer, or companion.
a professor who always had a graduate student in tow.
under tow, in the condition of being towed; in tow.
the fiber of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning by beating.
the shorter, less desirable flax fibers separated from line fibers in combing.
synthetic filaments prior to spinning.
the act or an instance of towing
the state of being towed (esp in the phrases in tow, under tow, on tow )
something towed
something used for towing
in one's charge or under one's influence
informal (in motor racing, etc) the act of taking advantage of the slipstream of another car (esp in the phrase get a tow )
short for ski tow
the fibres of hemp, flax, jute, etc, in the scutched state
synthetic fibres preparatory to spinning
the coarser fibres discarded after combing
First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb touen, towe, Old English togian “to pull by force, drag, pull”; cognate with Middle High German zogen, German ziehen “to draw, tug, drag”; the noun is derivative of the verb; see tug
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tou, tow(e), tough “unworked flax,” Old English tōw- (in tōwlīc “pertaining to weaving,” tōwhūs “spinning house”); akin to Old Norse tō “wool”
First recorded in 1500–20; late Middle English (Scots); Old English toh- (in tohlīne “towline”); cognate with Old Norse tog “rope, line, towline”; see origin at tow 1
First recorded in 1970–75; abbreviation of t(ube-launched), o(ptically-guided), w(ire-tracked missile)
To tow something is to drag or pull it, the way a truck will tow your car away if you park it illegally. A boat can tow a smaller boat behind it, and a person can even tow another person: "I had to tow my little brother down the hall by his arm to get him to leave the party." You can use tow as a noun as well: "My car won't start. Can I get a tow to the gas station?" Sometimes the chain or rope that's used to tow something is also called a tow.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Verstappen said the tow gained him 0.3secs in lap time.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
It will then vie to tow Swift into a stable orbit over the course of at least a month, rescuing it from destruction by moving it about 300 kilometers higher.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
That night, they were escorted onto the baseball diamond in an armored car with a security detail of some 200 police officers in tow.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
I feel like I understand the Vibe when I’m at the wheel, something I can’t say about the much newer compact SUV we bought to tow my family around in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
We started near Sealdah station, where my grandmother had stepped off the train from Barisal in 1946, with five boys and four steel trunks in tow.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Most countries refused to sell them to Iran, so the unit started copying Soviet and North Korean designs, and later American Stinger and TOW antitank missiles captured in Afghanistan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
These vehicles carry fewer troops than Strykers can, though their thicker armor and armaments, including TOW missiles and a 25mm cannon, make them more suitable for direct combat.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 18, 2023
Most recently, the Pentagon announced that 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and 500 TOW anti-tank missiles would be drawn from U.S. stocks and sent to Ukraine.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 10, 2023
Under the new arrangement, the C.I.A. took the lead in training, while Saudi Arabia’s intelligence agency, the General Intelligence Directorate, provided money and weapons, including TOW anti-tank missiles.
From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2016
They could put it on a separate boat and TOW it to America.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
The drone tows a cable and module that generates sound and magnetic fields to trigger the mines while keeping sailors at a safe distance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
The vehicle has been described as a semi-truck, consisting of a cab which tows a trailer.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2024
The Poma surface lift, two rope tows, tubing area and small terrain park are a charming, no-frills ski destination, one of just three ski hills located in a national park.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 12, 2023
It starts with sharing my story — and sharing why it’s so important to end poverty tows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2023
Other days, in the hours after lessons, Werner tows his little sister through the mine complex in a wagon he has assembled from cast-off parts.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
The vessel was then towed toward Khor Fakkan in the U.A.E., the person said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
The cops towed my mother’s car into an impound lot, and I was sure they’d found and confiscated the fireworks.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
No owner ever claimed the vessel, which was later towed away and dismantled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
They found the vessel in a cave near the island of Lefkada on Thursday and alerted the coast guard, which then towed it to the nearby port of Vasiliki.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
Dad towed her out until the water was just above her waist.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
They are built to meet sky-high expectations of towing, hauling and cargo versatility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Police departments are also trying to educate the public before issuing citations or towing an illegal bike, but officials said it’s a challenge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Footage on social media has emerged showing a Greek coast guard boat towing the several metre-long drone to the port.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
Just as things start looking up, Amanda’s car is stolen, left in an illegal spot and towed, and the towing company slaps her with an exorbitant $21,000 bill for circumstances entirely out of her control.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2026
Finally two boats, pretty things, came in, one towing the other.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
