in tow

Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in tow

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

With his wife, their two children, and four suitcases in tow, he steps out into a river of frustrated drivers.

From Barron's ● May 27, 2026

The fourth was left to confront a frenzied media scrum alone, small children in tow, with the knowledge she could be next.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

According to Borenstein, Talankin arrived at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York “to fly home to Europe” and had the Oscar in tow as a carry-on.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

She was in tow, the tug nudging along under her quarter, trailing smoke, but the ship herself was like she was moving without visible means.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner