tow

[ toh ]

/ toʊ /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tow ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

Idioms

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

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

SYNONYMS FOR tow

1. trail, draw, tug.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tow ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formstow·a·ble, adjectivetow·a·bil·i·ty, noun

Can be confusedtoe tow

tow

[ toh ]

/ toʊ /

noun

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

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

synthetic filaments prior to spinning.

adjective

made of tow.

Origin of tow

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

tow

[ toh ]

/ toʊ /

noun Scot.

a rope.

Origin of tow

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

TOW

[ toh ]

/ toʊ /

noun

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

t(ube-launched,) o(ptically-guided,) w(ire-tracked missile)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tow

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
It has no power, but perhaps you could tow it behind your launch.
Roy Blakeley|Percy Keese Fitzhugh
Roller stanched, with frozen snow and some tow, the only dangerous wound he had, and managed to reach his home.
History of the Early Settlement of the Juniata Valley|U. J. (Uriah James) Jones
The low purr of a motor behind him announced the arrival of a tractor to tow the ship off the runway.
Pushbutton War|Joseph P. Martino
It was, therefore, much better to tow it to the beach at Granite House.
Abandoned|Jules Verne
He is honest and sympathetic, otherwise I would never have succeeded in fooling and getting him in tow, but now I've got him.
Cad Metti, The Female Detective Strategist|Harlan Page Halsey

British Dictionary definitions for tow

tow

/ (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 Formstowable, adjective

Word Origin for tow

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

noun

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

synthetic fibres preparatory to spinning

the coarser fibres discarded after combing

Derived Formstowy, 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

Word Origin and History for tow

tow

"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.

tow

"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."

Idioms and Phrases with tow

tow

see in tow.

tow

verb (used with object)

noun

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verb

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Word Origin for tow

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