tow

1
[ toh ]
See synonyms for tow on Thesaurus.com
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.

noun
  1. an act or instance of towing.

  2. something being towed.

  1. something, as a boat or truck, that tows.

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

Idioms about tow

  1. 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.

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

Origin of tow

1
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 for tow

Other words from tow

  • tow·a·ble, adjective
  • tow·a·bil·i·ty, noun

Words that may be confused with tow

Words Nearby tow

Other definitions for tow (2 of 4)

tow2
[ toh ]

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

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

  1. synthetic filaments prior to spinning.

adjective
  1. made of tow.

Origin of tow

2
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 “wool”

Other definitions for tow (3 of 4)

tow3
[ toh ]

nounScot.
  1. a rope.

Origin of tow

3
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 ]

nounMilitary.
  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.

Origin of TOW

4
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. 2024

How to use tow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tow (1 of 2)

tow1

/ (təʊ) /


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

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)

  1. something towed

  2. something used for towing

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

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

  5. short for ski tow

Origin of tow

1
Old English togian; related to Old Frisian togia, Old Norse toga, Old High German zogōn

Derived forms of tow

  • towable, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for tow (2 of 2)

tow2

/ (təʊ) /


noun
  1. the fibres of hemp, flax, jute, etc, in the scutched state

  2. synthetic fibres preparatory to spinning

  1. the coarser fibres discarded after combing

Origin of tow

2
Old English tōw; related to Old Saxon tou, Old Norse tuft of wool, Dutch touwen to spin

Derived forms of tow

  • towy, adjective

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.

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