tower

¹ American  

[tou-er] / ˈtaʊ ər /

noun

1. a building or structure high in proportion to its lateral dimensions, either isolated or forming part of a building.

2. such a structure used as or intended for a stronghold, fortress, prison, etc.

3. any of various fully enclosed fireproof housings for vertical communications, as staircases, between the stories of a building.

4. any structure, contrivance, or object that resembles or suggests a tower.

5. a tall, movable structure used in ancient and medieval warfare in storming a fortified place.

6. Computers. a tall, vertical case with accessible horizontal drive bays, designed to house a computer system standing on a desk or floor.

7. Aviation. control tower.

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verb (used without object)

towers, present (3rd person singular) towered, past participle, past towering present participle

1. to rise or extend far upward, as a tower; reach or stand high.

   The skyscraper towers above the city.

2. to rise above or surpass others.

   She towers above the other students.

3. Falconry. (of a hawk) to rise straight into the air; to ring up.

idioms

1. tower of strength, a person who can be relied on for support, aid, or comfort, especially in times of difficulty.

tower ² American  

[toh-er] / ˈtoʊ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that tows.

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tower British  

/ ˈtaʊə /

noun

1. a tall, usually square or circular structure, sometimes part of a larger building and usually built for a specific purpose

   a church tower

   a control tower

2. a place of defence or retreat

3. a mobile structure used in medieval warfare to attack a castle, etc

4. a person who gives support, comfort, etc

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verb

1. (intr) to be or rise like a tower; loom

tower More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing tower

• ivory tower

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• towerless
  adjective
• towerlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• towering
  present
• towered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tower
  simple
• towers
  simple
• have towered
  perfect
• has towered
  perfect
• am towering
  progressive
• are towering
  progressive
• is towering
  progressive
• have been towering
  perfect progressive
• has been towering
  perfect progressive

Past

• towered
  simple
• had towered
  perfect
• was towering
  progressive
• were towering
  progressive
• had been towering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tower
  simple
• will have towered
  perfect
• will be towering
  progressive
• will have been towering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of tower¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun tour, earlier tur, tor, from Old French tur, tor, from Latin turris, from Greek týrris, variant of týrsis “tower”; Middle English tor perhaps continuing Old English torr, from Latin turris, as above

Origin of tower²

First recorded in 1485–95; tow ¹ + -er ¹

Explanation

A tower is a tall structure, with the diameter of its base less than its height. Rapunzel lived in a tower. If you have a super tall friend and you're short, you could say they tower over you. Towers can come in handy––you can build one and climb to the top, looking out for approaching enemies, or in the case of a fire tower, for early signs of forest fires. One of the most famous towers is the Tower of London, with its long-held reputation as a place of torture and execution. Most people are surprised to learn that only seven people were executed in the Tower.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tower towers towered towering

The office tower at 222 Broadway was a workplace for Bank of America, WeWork and other companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Jurors were told that mattresses were put down at the base of the tower to try to protect him because he was in a "precarious position".

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

He expects three crews, one for each tower, will start at the top and work their way down.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

That’s what expanding breadth looks like, as a bull market supported by several sectors is much sturdier than one balanced on a tower of parabolic semiconductor stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

At that, Roz dashed out from the antennas and leaped off the control tower.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

There are bottomless mimosas and $28 omelets, towers of French toast and Bloody Marys accessorized like seafood platters.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Local authorities said 116 telecommunications towers had been knocked out of service, with landline, mobile and internet connections down in some northern areas of the province.

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

Meanwhile, Eric pulls them around on a rug he rigged as a magic carpet and helps stack the blocks into towers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

The sources of the outbreak were later identified as cooling towers at Harlem Hospital and the nearby site of the city's new public health laboratory.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Only one of the palace’s towers still stood, and even that one looked to be on the edge of collapse.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

A tsunami of that size would have towered more than 330 feet above sea level, higher than many modern skyscrapers.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026

Joshua, meanwhile, who towered above Paul during Friday's event, warned he is ready to deliver an emphatic victory.

From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025

On a recent morning at Philly Shipyard, a hulking “Goliath” crane towered over the site, sporting a fresh coat of Hanwha orange paint.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025

The 86-year-old disbarred trial attorney, a legal legend who once towered over California’s justice system, becomes inmate 43156-510, one of more than 150,000 people federally incarcerated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2025

A polar bear towered above it all, slashing blindly with skillet-sized paws.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

They found Homer, but it took weeks to uncover Langley, who had been crushed beneath one of his own towering piles.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

The ascent of a towering Aleppo pine — not one of the trees slated for removal — was a quiet and slowly paced piece de la resistance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

On a drizzly morning in June, all was still on Tuskegee's South Main Street, a two-lane road that runs into the heart of the town square, where a towering Confederate monument loomed over the emptiness.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

"Before the war, we were the ones calling factories, trying to sell our material," Romany told AFP, standing beside towering bales of compressed plastic.

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

It’s three stories of towering stone, peaked roofs, and ginormous windows.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein