tow

[ toh ]

/ toʊ /

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verb (used with object)

to pull or haul (a car, barge, trailer, etc.) by a rope, chain, or other device: The car was towed to the service station.

noun

an act or instance of towing.

something being towed.

something, as a boat or truck, that tows.

a rope, chain, metal bar, or other device for towing: The trailer is secured to the car by a metal tow.

ski tow.

OTHER WORDS FOR tow

1 trail, draw, tug.

See synonyms for tow on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about tow

in tow,

in the state of being towed.
under one's guidance; in one's charge.
as a follower, admirer, or companion: a professor who always had a graduate student in tow.

under tow, in the condition of being towed; in tow.

Origin of tow

First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb touen, towe, Old English togian “to pull by force, drag, pull”; cognate with Middle High German zogen, German ziehen “to draw, tug, drag”; the noun is derivative of the verb; see tug

OTHER WORDS FROM tow

tow·a·ble, adjectivetow·a·bil·i·ty, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tow

toe, tow

Words nearby tow

tout le monde, touzle, tovarisch, tovarishch, Tovey, tow, towage, to wake the dead, loud enough, toward, towardly, towards

Other definitions for tow (2 of 4)

tow²

[ toh ]

/ toʊ /

noun

the fiber of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning by beating.

the shorter, less desirable flax fibers separated from line fibers in combing.

synthetic filaments prior to spinning.

adjective

made of tow.

Origin of tow

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tou, tow(e), tough “unworked flax,” Old English tōw- (in tōwlīc “pertaining to weaving,” tōwhūs “spinning house”); akin to Old Norse tō “wool”

Other definitions for tow (3 of 4)

tow³

[ toh ]

/ toʊ /

noun Scot.

a rope.

Origin of tow

First recorded in 1500–20; late Middle English (Scots); Old English toh- (in tohlīne “towline”); cognate with Old Norse tog “rope, line, towline”; see origin at tow¹

Other definitions for tow (4 of 4)

TOW

[ toh ]

/ toʊ /

noun Military.

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.

Origin of TOW

First recorded in 1970–75; abbreviation of t(ube-launched), o(ptically-guided), w(ire-tracked missile)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tow in a sentence

Her car was ordered towed by clinic police, costing more than $200, she said.
The Startling Reach and Disparate Impact of Cleveland Clinic’s Private Police Force|by David Armstrong|September 28, 2020|ProPublica
Ring Car Alarm plugs into your car and monitors activities like break-ins or tows and then sends an alert to the app.
Amazon’s Fall 2020 products announcements include a security camera drone that flies around your house|Stan Horaczek|September 24, 2020|Popular-Science
It has eight reinforced foam handles, a zippered valve cover, and a reinforced tow point for a safe and secure ride.
The best boating tubes|PopSci Commerce Team|September 3, 2020|Popular-Science
It was the longest the two of them had ever spent together, certainly the longest without their husbands in tow.
Gender Is What You Make of It - Issue 88: Love & Sex|Charles King|August 5, 2020|Nautilus

So far, Spot’s been mostly trialed in surveying and data collection, but as this video suggests, string enough Spots together, and they could tow your car.
The Robot Revolution Was Televised: Our All-Time Favorite Boston Dynamics Robot Videos|Jason Dorrier|July 19, 2020|Singularity Hub
Trump even gave Jackson a personal tour of the venue, with television cameras in tow.
I Watched a Casino Kill Itself: The Awful Last Nights of Atlantic City’s Taj Mahal|Olivia Nuzzi|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The driver then got on the highway and started going "well above the speed limit," with the taxi inspector still in tow.
The Ten Worst Uber Horror Stories|Olivia Nuzzi|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The rebels used, among other weapons, TOW missiles recently supplied by the U.S. to Harakat Hazm.
The Battle for Aleppo: A Decisive Fight for ISIS, Assad, and the USA|Jamie Dettmer|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The police vehicles take off from the parking lot with Booker and Fulop in tow.
The Ugly Truth About Cory Booker, New Jersey’s Golden Boy|Olivia Nuzzi|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Send Obama to the American Medical Association and the National Medical Association with Murthy in tow to make the case.
Where the Hell Is the Surgeon General?|Roland S. Martin|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They require frequent cleaning with a long wire and a bit of tow, and in some large towns there are professional pipe-cleaners.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The boat was now hoisted out and sent ahead to tow, but we could not succeed in getting the vessel's head round.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
Again it was empty except for the operator, a tow-headed kid with a Racing Form tucked in a side pocket.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Without her powerful engines to tow it to windward of the wrecks the lifeboat would be much, very much, less useful than it is.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
These matches were fuses of some slow-burning fiber, like tow, which would keep a spark for a considerable time.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various

British Dictionary definitions for tow (1 of 2)

tow¹

/ (təʊ) /

verb

(tr) to pull or drag (a vehicle, boat, etc), esp by means of a rope or cable

noun

the act or an instance of towing

the state of being towed (esp in the phrases in tow, under tow, on tow)

something towed

something used for towing

in tow in one's charge or under one's influence

informal (in motor racing, etc) the act of taking advantage of the slipstream of another car (esp in the phrase get a tow)

short for ski tow

Derived forms of tow

towable, adjective

Word Origin for tow

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

British Dictionary definitions for tow (2 of 2)

tow²

/ (təʊ) /

noun

the fibres of hemp, flax, jute, etc, in the scutched state

synthetic fibres preparatory to spinning

the coarser fibres discarded after combing

Derived forms of tow

towy, adjective

Word Origin for tow

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with tow

tow

see in tow.

tow

OTHER WORDS FOR tow

Idioms about tow

Origin of tow

OTHER WORDS FROM tow

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tow

Words nearby tow

Other definitions for tow (2 of 4)

Origin of tow

Other definitions for tow (3 of 4)

Origin of tow

Other definitions for tow (4 of 4)

Origin of TOW

Words related to tow

How to use tow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tow (1 of 2)

Derived forms of tow

Word Origin for tow

British Dictionary definitions for tow (2 of 2)

Derived forms of tow

Word Origin for tow

Other Idioms and Phrases with tow