- present participle of tower.
towering
Americanadjective
-
very high or tall; lofty.
a towering oak.
- Synonyms:
- elevated
- Antonyms:
- short
-
surpassing others; very great.
a towering figure in American poetry.
-
rising to an extreme degree of violence or intensity.
a towering rage.
-
beyond the proper or usual limits; inordinate; excessive.
towering pride; towering ambitions.
adjective
-
very tall; lofty
-
outstanding, as in importance or stature
-
(prenominal) very intense
a towering rage
Synonym Usage
See high.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of towering
From a late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at tower 1, -ing 2
Explanation
Towering things are extremely tall, like the towering skyscrapers in New York City or the towering redwoods in northern California. Use the adjective towering to describe gigantic things that loom over everything (or everyone) else. There's the towering basketball player in your yoga class who is at least a foot taller than the other students, and the towering addition your neighbor is building on his house — the one that will block your view of the lake. The verb tower means "to rise high," from the Latin for "tower," turris.
Vocabulary lists containing towering
Living Large: Synonyms for "Big"
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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"The Lotus Seed"
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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.
With a towering performance, Norway’s star striker Erling Haaland sent Brazil packing in the round of 16, hammering home two goals in a 2-1 victory.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 5, 2026
"We want to push justice to investigate," he says, gesturing to the towering new buildings surrounding Tirana's central Skenderbeg Square.
From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026
I also avoid making a towering high volcano, instead sticking to small piles or hills, since I like to enjoy my mashed potatoes steaming hot.
From Salon • Jun. 28, 2026
David Hockney, the towering British-born artist who made Los Angeles his home, turned the city’s landscapes filled with glittering pools, rolling hills and lush foliage into consequential art.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026
They stopped together at the base of the towering wall.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
