in tow

Idioms

In one's charge or close guidance; along with one. For example, The older girl took the new student in tow, or Peter always had his family in tow. This expression alludes to the literal meaning of being pulled along. [Early 1700s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

in tow

One woman, her baby and young daughter in tow, struggled to find the right courtroom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

The dispute came to a head when Tahnoon visited Washington in June 2024, with Gannon in tow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

"We saw another video clip and this one was the one of the adult beavers swimming across the little pond here with three kits in tow," Boles said.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 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

How could I arrive at Uaaxee’s farm with eight ogres in tow?

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023