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tow truck

American  

noun

  1. wrecker.


tow truck British  

noun

  1. Also called: breakdown van.   wrecker.  a motor vehicle equipped for towing away wrecked or disabled cars

"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

Etymology

Origin of tow truck

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was a waiter, a tow truck driver and an aide to students with special needs.

From Los Angeles Times

At 6 a.m. in early December, an unlabeled white tow truck cruised into Jesse Roller’s Chino neighborhood.

From Los Angeles Times

They can be summoned via the third-party app Honk, which chiefly is used by tow truck operators to find stranded customers.

From Los Angeles Times

One of the officers chased the tow truck on foot and saw that the suspect was ‘laughing’ as he recorded the officer with his cellphone, according to an affidavit filed in federal court.

From Los Angeles Times

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—From the cab of his tow truck, George Dowdy clicked a remote control to slide the boom under a parked Chevy Trax and grab its front tires.

From The Wall Street Journal