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tow1

[toh]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to pull or haul (a car, barge, trailer, etc.) by a rope, chain, or other device: The car was towed to the service station.
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noun
  1. an act or instance of towing.
  2. something being towed.
  3. something, as a boat or truck, that tows.
  4. a rope, chain, metal bar, or other device for towing: The trailer is secured to the car by a metal tow.
  5. ski tow.
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Idioms
  1. in tow,
    1. in the state of being towed.
    2. under one's guidance; in one's charge.
    3. as a follower, admirer, or companion: a professor who always had a graduate student in tow.
  2. under tow, in the condition of being towed; in tow.
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Origin of tow1

before 1000; Middle English towen (v.), Old English togian to pull by force, drag; cognate with Middle High German zogen to draw, tug, drag. See tug
Related formstow·a·ble, adjectivetow·a·bil·i·ty, noun
Can be confusedtoe tow

Synonyms

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1. trail, draw, tug.

tow2

[toh]
noun
  1. the fiber of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning by scutching.
  2. the shorter, less desirable flax fibers separated from line fibers in hackling.
  3. synthetic filaments prior to spinning.
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adjective
  1. made of tow.
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Origin of tow2

1300–50; Middle English; Old English tōw- (in tōwlīc pertaining to thread, tōwhūs spinning house); akin to Old Norse tō wool

tow3

[toh]
noun Scot.
  1. a rope.
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Origin of tow3

1425–75; late Middle English (Scots); Old English toh- (in tohlīne towline); cognate with Old Norse tog towline. See tow1

TOW

[toh]
noun
  1. a U.S. Army antitank missile, steered to its target by two thin wires connected to a computerized launcher, which is mounted on a vehicle or helicopter.
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Origin of TOW

t(ube-launched,) o(ptically-guided,) w(ire-tracked missile)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

ferryhaullugdragtugdrawpropeltrawltrailpushyank

Examples from the Web for tow

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Historical Examples

British Dictionary definitions for tow

tow1

verb
  1. (tr) to pull or drag (a vehicle, boat, etc), esp by means of a rope or cable
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noun
  1. the act or an instance of towing
  2. the state of being towed (esp in the phrases in tow, under tow, on tow)
  3. something towed
  4. something used for towing
  5. in tow in one's charge or under one's influence
  6. informal (in motor racing, etc) the act of taking advantage of the slipstream of another car (esp in the phrase get a tow)
  7. short for ski tow
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Derived Formstowable, adjective

Word Origin

Old English togian; related to Old Frisian togia, Old Norse toga, Old High German zogōn

tow2

noun
  1. the fibres of hemp, flax, jute, etc, in the scutched state
  2. synthetic fibres preparatory to spinning
  3. the coarser fibres discarded after combing
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Derived Formstowy, adjective

Word Origin

Old English tōw; related to Old Saxon tou, Old Norse tō tuft of wool, Dutch touwen to spin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tow

v.

"pull with a rope," Old English togian "to drag, pull," from Proto-Germanic *tugojanan (cf. Old English teon "to draw," Old Frisian togia "to pull about," Old Norse toga, Old High German zogon, German ziehen "to draw, pull, drag"), from PIE root *deuk- "to pull, draw" (cf. Latin ducere "to lead;" see duke (n.)). Related: Towed; towing. The noun meaning "act or fact of being towed" is recorded from 1620s. Towaway, in reference to parking zones, is recorded from 1956.

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n.

"coarse, broken fibers of flax, hemp, etc.," late 14c., probably from Old English tow- "spinning" (in towlic "fit for spinning"), perhaps cognate with Gothic taujan "to do, make," Middle Dutch touwen "to knit, weave."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with tow

tow

see in tow.

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.