tower

¹ American  

[tou-er] / ˈtaʊ ər /

noun

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Aviation. control tower.

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verb (used without object)

• towers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• towered,
  past participle,  past
• towering
  present participle

1. to rise or extend far upward, as a tower; reach or stand high.

   The skyscraper towers above the city.

2. to rise above or surpass others.

   She towers above the other students.

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

idioms

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

tower ² American  

[toh-er] / ˈtoʊ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that tows.

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tower British  

/ ˈtaʊə /

noun

1. a tall, usually square or circular structure, sometimes part of a larger building and usually built for a specific purpose

   a church tower

   a control tower

2. a place of defence or retreat

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

4. a person who gives support, comfort, etc

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verb

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

tower More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing tower

• ivory tower

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• towerless
  adjective
• towerlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• towering
  present
• towered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tower
  simple
• towers
  simple
• have towered
  perfect
• has towered
  perfect
• am towering
  progressive
• are towering
  progressive
• is towering
  progressive
• have been towering
  perfect progressive
• has been towering
  perfect progressive

Past

• towered
  simple
• had towered
  perfect
• was towering
  progressive
• were towering
  progressive
• had been towering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tower
  simple
• will have towered
  perfect
• will be towering
  progressive
• will have been towering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of tower¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun tour, earlier tur, tor, from Old French tur, tor, from Latin turris, from Greek týrris, variant of týrsis “tower”; Middle English tor perhaps continuing Old English torr, from Latin turris, as above

Origin of tower²

First recorded in 1485–95; tow ¹ + -er ¹

Explanation

A tower is a tall structure, with the diameter of its base less than its height. Rapunzel lived in a tower. If you have a super tall friend and you're short, you could say they tower over you. Towers can come in handy––you can build one and climb to the top, looking out for approaching enemies, or in the case of a fire tower, for early signs of forest fires. One of the most famous towers is the Tower of London, with its long-held reputation as a place of torture and execution. Most people are surprised to learn that only seven people were executed in the Tower.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tower towers towered towering

From here, Robert carefully stacks a Jenga tower of suspense-laden set pieces and surprisingly moving family drama, without so much as letting the structure teeter.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Yet new details revealed in court show that critical fire prevention equipment needed repair before the blaze and that vegetation under the tower where it ignited hadn’t been trimmed for years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Procedures before the episode didn’t require Marine One crews to get confirmation that Reagan National’s tower heard the three-minute warning, according to some of the people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

In Manizales, an AFP journalist saw many damaged buildings, including the crumpled tower of the city's beloved neo-Gothic cathedral.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Watch your step when you’re near a tower window.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Jurors heard her phone connected to cell towers in both of those areas.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

There will be no central dining hall, but there will be a commissary for staff, which will serve more than 2,000 workers by the time all four towers, built in phases, are complete.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Some evidence accepted by the judge -- relating to Facebook messages, cell towers and posts of death cap mushroom sightings -- was not relevant or unfairly prejudicial to her case, her lawyer said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

The cellblock towers four tiers high, each tier stretching across 28 cells.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

From the crest of the hill we saw it, like a vast scar on the green German landscape; a city of low gray barracks surrounded by concrete walls on which guard towers rose at intervals.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

By mid-June, the entire plant, including the spadix and pot, towered over 6 feet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

A tsunami of that size would have towered more than 330 feet above sea level, higher than many modern skyscrapers.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026

Joshua, meanwhile, who towered above Paul during Friday's event, warned he is ready to deliver an emphatic victory.

From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025

He literally towered over everyone else at the ceremony in Kuala Lumpur where Cambodia and Thailand signed their agreement.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2025

Jinny rose and leaned over Loo, towered above him in the shallows.

From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder

But a late rescue act courtesy of a towering header from Guehi - who all the attention was on - and Josko Gvardiol's cool finish salvaged an unlikely comeback victory against Bournemouth.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Local artists, with easy access to Carrara marble quarried just down the coast, created thousands of sculpted scenes that by turns commemorate, re-create or just refer to the dead in towering dioramas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Many were taking selfies with a three-metre-tall Unitree GD01, a towering rideable robot the firm says can switch between bi- and quadruped settings.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

The 'trees that hit the moon' are more than towering natural monuments.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

A few blocks away, the water receded rapidly, building into a massive wave —a towering wall of water and wind and rain that swallowed buildings and palm trees and electric poles as it advanced.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz