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View synonyms for

tow

1

[ toh ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to pull or haul (a car, barge, trailer, etc.) by a rope, chain, or other device:

    The car was towed to the service station.

    Synonyms: , ,



noun

  1. an act or instance of towing.
  2. something being towed.
  3. something, as a boat or truck, that tows.
  4. a rope, chain, metal bar, or other device for towing:

    The trailer is secured to the car by a metal tow.

tow

2

[ toh ]

noun

  1. the fiber of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning by beating.
  2. the shorter, less desirable flax fibers separated from line fibers in combing.
  3. synthetic filaments prior to spinning.

adjective

  1. made of tow.

tow

3

[ toh ]

noun

Scot.
  1. a rope.

TOW

4

[ toh ]

noun

Military.
  1. a U.S. Army antitank missile, steered to its target by two thin wires connected to a computerized launcher, which is mounted on a vehicle or helicopter.

tow

1

/ əʊ /

verb

  1. tr to pull or drag (a vehicle, boat, etc), esp by means of a rope or cable
“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

noun

  1. the act or an instance of towing
  2. the state of being towed (esp in the phrases in tow, under tow, on tow )
  3. something towed
  4. something used for towing
  5. in tow
    in one's charge or under one's influence
  6. informal.
    (in motor racing, etc) the act of taking advantage of the slipstream of another car (esp in the phrase get a tow )
  7. short for ski tow
“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

tow

2

/ əʊ /

noun

  1. the fibres of hemp, flax, jute, etc, in the scutched state
  2. synthetic fibres preparatory to spinning
  3. the coarser fibres discarded after combing
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈٴǷɲ, adjective
  • ˈٴǷɲ, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • ٴǷa· adjective
  • ٴǷa·i·ٲ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tow1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb touen, towe, Old English togian “to pull by force, drag, pull”; cognate with Middle High German zogen, German ziehen “to draw, tug, drag”; the noun is derivative of the verb; tug

Origin of tow2

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tou, tow(e), tough “unworked flax,” Old English ō- (in ōɱī “pertaining to weaving,” ōɳū “spinning house”); akin to Old Norse ō “wǴDZ”

Origin of tow3

First recorded in 1500–20; late Middle English (Scots); Old English toh- (in ٴdzīԱ “towline”); cognate with Old Norse tog “rope, line, towline”; tow 1

Origin of tow4

First recorded in 1970–75; abbreviation of t(ube-launched), o(ptically-guided), w(ire-tracked missile)
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tow1

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

Origin of tow2

Old English ōw; related to Old Saxon tou, Old Norse ō tuft of wool, Dutch touwen to spin
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. in tow,
    1. in the state of being towed.
    2. under one's guidance; in one's charge.
    3. as a follower, admirer, or companion:

      a professor who always had a graduate student in tow.

  2. under tow, in the condition of being towed; in tow.

More idioms and phrases containing tow

see in tow .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

After it was removed from the scene, the Cybertruck burst into flames again at a nearby tow yard, a person with knowledge of the incident not authorized to discuss it publicly told The Times.

From

"When we have a finished element at the harbour, it will be towed out to the location and then we will slowly immerse it behind the steel doors here."

From

Visitors to Wales' largest national park are being urged to think about how they travel to avoid parking chaos or risk being towed away.

From

There’s a man driving around Southern California in a kid’s Tesla Cybertruck with a Siberian husky riding shotgun and a large Mexican flag in tow.

From

In 2021, the two ex-officers were accused of spray painting a swastika inside a vehicle that had been towed from the scene of an alleged mail theft.

From

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Related Words

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.

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