tow
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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an act or instance of towing.
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something being towed.
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something, as a boat or truck, that tows.
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a rope, chain, metal bar, or other device for towing.
The trailer is secured to the car by a metal tow.
idioms
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in tow,
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in the state of being towed.
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under one's guidance; in one's charge.
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as a follower, admirer, or companion.
a professor who always had a graduate student in tow.
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under tow, in the condition of being towed; in tow.
noun
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the fiber of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning by beating.
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the shorter, less desirable flax fibers separated from line fibers in combing.
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synthetic filaments prior to spinning.
adjective
noun
noun
verb
noun
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the act or an instance of towing
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the state of being towed (esp in the phrases in tow, under tow, on tow )
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something towed
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something used for towing
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in one's charge or under one's influence
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informal (in motor racing, etc) the act of taking advantage of the slipstream of another car (esp in the phrase get a tow )
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short for ski tow
noun
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the fibres of hemp, flax, jute, etc, in the scutched state
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synthetic fibres preparatory to spinning
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the coarser fibres discarded after combing
Other Word Forms
- towability noun
- towable adjective
- towy adjective
Etymology
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 tōw- (in tōwlīc “pertaining to weaving,” tōwhūs “spinning house”); akin to Old Norse tō “wool”
Origin of tow3
First recorded in 1500–20; late Middle English (Scots); Old English toh- (in tohlīne “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)
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.
During World War Two, the RAF's No.620 Squadron's fleet used the base for airborne forces operations which included parachute drops of troops and supplies and towing Airspeed Horsa assault gliders.
From BBC
Locals, some with dogs in tow, marched down Telluride’s main street chanting, “End it now!”
The sailor assigned to man the brakes in the cockpit and another who was towing the jet had to jump off at the last second.
Investigators had been granted a search warrant to look in the vehicle Sept. 8 after a tow yard worker noticed a rotting smell emanating from the vehicle.
From Los Angeles Times
Strikingly, the new American migrant is more likely than ever to bring children in tow, relocation companies and realtors say, laying down roots and raising a set of Americans feeding into foreign colleges.
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.
