tower

[ tou-er ]

/ ˈtaʊ ər /

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.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?

Question 1 of 10

decorum

the act of or need for making up one's mind.

dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.

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Idioms for tower

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

OTHER WORDS FROM tower

tow·er·less, adjectivetow·er·like, adjective

Words nearby tower

towel rack, towel rail, towelette, toweling, towelling, tower, tower block, tower bolt, tower crane, tower hamlets, tower of babel

Definition for tower (2 of 3)

tower²

[ toh-er ]

/ ˈtoʊ ər /

noun

a person or thing that tows.

Origin of tower

First recorded in 1485–95; tow¹ + -er¹

Definition for tower (3 of 3)

tow²

[ toh ]

/ toʊ /

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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The day he went to the Tower, the mob lit bonfires and danced round them for joy.
Old and New London|Walter Thornbury
The next day she betook herself by water to the Tower, and received the homage offered her.
A History of England Principally in the Seventeenth Century, Volume I (of 6)|Leopold von Ranke
Emma von der Tann followed her guide up a winding stairway which spiraled within a tower at the end of a long passage.
The Mad King|Edgar Rice Burroughs
The eldership has ever been a tower of strength in the Covenanted Church.
Sketches of the Covenanters|J. C. McFeeters
And I told him, till we almost ran blindly into the tower of the St. Denis gate.
Helmet of Navarre|Bertha Runkle

British Dictionary definitions for tower (1 of 3)

tower

/ (ˈtaʊə) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for tower (2 of 3)

tow¹

/ (təʊ) /

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 forms of tow

towable, adjective

Word Origin for tow

Old English togian; related to Old Frisian togia, Old Norse toga, Old High German zogōn

British Dictionary definitions for tower (3 of 3)

tow²

/ (təʊ) /

noun

the fibres of hemp, flax, jute, etc, in the scutched state

synthetic fibres preparatory to spinning

the coarser fibres discarded after combing

Derived forms of tow

towy, 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

Idioms and Phrases with tower (1 of 2)

tower

In addition to the idiom beginning with tower

tower of strength

also see:

ivory tower

Idioms and Phrases with tower (2 of 2)

tow

see in tow.

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