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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

tow trucks

plural

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.

See Examples For:

tow truck

Rising fuel prices 'cost tow truck business £10k'

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 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

San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials told The Times in a statement that they were aware of thefts using a white tow truck in their jurisdiction and confirmed reports of the crime in neighboring counties.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026

A tow truck was winching a blue SUV out of the ditch.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

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