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towpath

American

[toh-path, -pahth] / ˈtoʊˌpæθ, -ˌpɑθ /

noun

plural

towpaths

a path along the bank of a canal or river, for use in towing boats.

towpath British

/ ˈtəʊˌpɑːθ /

noun

Also called: towing path. a path beside a canal or river, used by people or animals towing boats

"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

Etymology

Origin of towpath

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90; tow ¹ + path

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.

He was later captured by police while riding a bicycle on a canal towpath in west London.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2024

He was arrested on a canal towpath in west London on 9 September 2023.

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2024

Police said he was arrested by a plain-clothes counter-terrorism officer four days after his alleged escape while riding a bike along a canal towpath in Northolt, west London.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2024

Video footage obtained by The Sun newspaper showed him sitting on the canal towpath after his arrest, with a bike, a Waitrose cool bag and a sleeping bag nearby.

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2023

There was a towpath on the western side of the water—Malcolm’s right—but it needed clearing.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023