tow truck

American

noun

wrecker.

tow truck British

noun

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.

The roadside-assistance company Ortego works for pays for gas on the tow truck he was driving Thursday, which now takes $110 to fill up instead of the $70 it cost last month.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Damon Vescovi followed the tow truck ferrying Spivey’s body to the impound lot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Then all that’s left is the long, sad ride in the cab of a tow truck.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

The tow truck driver stopped in front of the car, latched on using a self-loading lift and drove away without ever leaving the truck.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

His sister lifted out his blue tow truck and put it on the floor.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023