tower

[tou-er]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tower ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a building or structure high in proportion to its lateral dimensions, either isolated or forming part of a building.

such a structure used as or intended for a stronghold, fortress, prison, etc.

any of various fully enclosed fireproof housings for vertical communications, as staircases, between the stories of a building.

any structure, contrivance, or object that resembles or suggests a tower.

a tall, movable structure used in ancient and medieval warfare in storming a fortified place.

a tall, vertical case with accessible horizontal drive bays, designed to house a computer system standing on a desk or floor.Compare minitower.

Aviation. control tower.

verb (used without object)

to rise or extend far upward, as a tower; reach or stand high: The skyscraper towers above the city.

to rise above or surpass others: She towers above the other students.

Falconry. (of a hawk) to rise straight into the air; to ring up.

Idioms

tower of strength, a person who can be relied on for support, aid, or comfort, especially in times of difficulty.

Origin of tower

before 900; (noun) Middle English tour, earlier tur, tor < Old French < Latin turris < Greek týrris, variant of týrsis tower; Middle English tor perhaps in some cases continuing Old English torr < Latin turris, as above; (v.) late Middle English touren, derivative of the noun

Related formstow·er·less, adjectivetow·er·like, adjective

tower

[toh-er]

noun

a person or thing that tows.

Origin of tower

First recorded in 1485–95; tow¹ + -er¹

tow

[toh]

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

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

Related Words for tower

stronghold, lookout, fortification, belfry, skyscraper, column, pillar, spire, mast, keep, turret, obelisk, refuge, steeple, monolith, castle, citadel, fortress, fort, minaret

Examples from the Web for tower

Contemporary Examples of tower

It involved a model of the tower set on its side for the shot.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
The camera dollied backward along the length of the tower's staircase while simultaneously its lens zoomed forward.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
It made sense with so many suspects at hand, less so with the tower entrance separated from them by a forty foot wall.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison
Daniel Genis
December 8, 2014
He used the powerful assault rifle issued to all guards on tower duty.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison
Daniel Genis
December 8, 2014
The scorned party in a love-triangle, he blew his head off while serving overnight tower duty in 2007.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison
Daniel Genis
December 8, 2014

Historical Examples of tower

The tower rises above the crossing, and is crowned by sixteen pinnacles.
Yorkshire Painted And Described
Gordon Home
This stone was thrown at the sainted Stephen, and the other two are from the Tower of Babel.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
The garrison of the fort aided the tower guard by their fire.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
He waited eagerly to hear the clock of the tower of Loewestein strike nine.
The Black Tulip
Alexandre Dumas (Pere)
I was unexpectedly struck, on entering the armoury at the Tower.
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

British Dictionary definitions for tower

tower

noun

a tall, usually square or circular structure, sometimes part of a larger building and usually built for a specific purposea church tower; a control tower

a place of defence or retreat

a mobile structure used in medieval warfare to attack a castle, etc

tower of strength a person who gives support, comfort, etc

verb

(intr) to be or rise like a tower; loom

Word Origin for tower

C12: from Old French tur, from Latin turris, from Greek

tow

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

tow

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 tower

Old English torr, from Latin turris "high structure" (cf. Old French tor, 11c.; Spanish, Italian torre "tower"), possibly from a pre-Indo-European Mediterranean language. Also borrowed separately 13c. as tour, from Old French tur. The modern spelling first recorded in 1520s. Meaning "lofty pile or mass" is recorded from mid-14c.

c.1400; see tower (n.). Related: Towered; towering.

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 tower

tower

In addition to the idiom beginning with tower

tower of strength

also see:

ivory tower

tow

see in tow.