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

Flores had pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in a downtown courtroom last week, with a team of high-powered lawyers in tow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Trump departed Washington for the key summit late Monday, travelling with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in tow.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 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

I could tell that the Right Reverend wasn’t about to head back to the middle of New York State with me in tow.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan