tower

[tou-er]

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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

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

Related Words for towered

transcend, exceed, loom, top, overlook, ascend, surpass, surmount, dominate, mount, rear, soar, overtop

Examples from the Web for towered

Contemporary Examples of towered

A burly Belgian, strapped with grenades and ammunition, towered above them.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis
Nina Strochlic
November 23, 2014
Richards, who towered over his Dennehy when he appeared in court alongside her Monday, denies all charges.
Female British Serial Killer Shocks Lawyer, Pleads Guilty
Tom Sykes
November 18, 2013
The film played on a dozen or so boxed-in screens that towered over the Park Avenue Armory audience.
Nothing New Under the Sun
Justin Jones
October 3, 2013
He was a tall boy anyway, but the extra year made it so that he towered over his new classmates.
He Was My Favorite Student, and They Say He Killed a Baby
Brandy Zadrozny
September 13, 2013
The imposing edifice of the U.S. Embassy towered over all, just a few blocks away.
Fire In Cairo: A View From the Arab Street
John Kael Weston
September 20, 2012

Historical Examples of towered

From an immense discouraging distance, they towered imminent.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
It towered high over the clouds and rain; and none could say whereon it rested.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various
Then rising they towered, lifting brawny arms towards the stars.
A Spirit in Prison
Robert Hichens
It towered up there beautiful, strong, virile, and fruitful.
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
A block of flats, constructed with extreme cheapness, towered on either hand.
Howards End
E. M. Forster

British Dictionary definitions for towered

towered

adjective

having a tower or towers
(in combination)four-towered; high-towered

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

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 towered

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.

tower

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

Idioms and Phrases with towered

tower

In addition to the idiom beginning with tower

tower of strength

also see:

ivory tower