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.
noun
2.
an act or instance of towing.
3.
something being towed.
4.
something, as a boat or truck, that tows.
5.
a rope, chain, metal bar, or other device for towing: The trailer is secured to the car by a metal tow.
6.
00:10
Tow
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to flee; abscond: |
7.
in tow,
a.
in the state of being towed.
b.
under one's guidance; in one's charge.
c.
as a follower, admirer, or companion: a professor who always had a graduate student in tow.
8.
under tow, in the condition of being towed; in tow.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English towen (v.), Old English togian to pull by force, drag; cognate with Middle High German zogen to draw, tug, drag. See tug
before 1000; Middle English towen (v.), Old English togian to pull by force, drag; cognate with Middle High German zogen to draw, tug, drag. See tug
Related forms
tow·a·ble, adjective
tow·a·bil·i·ty, noun
Synonyms
1. trail, draw, tug.
1. trail, draw, tug.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
the fiber of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning by scutching.
2.
the shorter, less desirable flax fibers separated from line fibers in hackling.
3.
synthetic filaments prior to spinning.
adjective
4.
made of tow.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English; Old English tōw- (in tōwlīc pertaining to thread, tōwhūs spinning house); akin to Old Norse tō wool
1300–50; Middle English; Old English tōw- (in tōwlīc pertaining to thread, tōwhūs spinning house); akin to Old Norse tō wool
noun Scot.
a rope.
Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English (Scots); Old English toh- (in tohlīne towline); cognate with Old Norse tog towline. See tow1
1425–75; late Middle English (Scots); Old English toh- (in tohlīne towline); cognate with Old Norse tog towline. See tow1
noun
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.
Origin:
t(ube-launched,) o(ptically-guided,) w(ire-tracked missile)
t(ube-launched,) o(ptically-guided,) w(ire-tracked missile)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To tow
Collins
World English Dictionary
tow1 (təʊ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (tr) to pull or drag (a vehicle, boat, etc), esp by means of a rope or cable |
| —n | |
| 2. | the act or an instance of towing |
| 3. | the state of being towed (esp in the phrases in tow, under tow, on tow) |
| 4. | something towed |
| 5. | something used for towing |
| 6. | in tow in one's charge or under one's influence |
| 7. | informal (in motor racing, etc) the act of taking advantage of the slipstream of another car (esp in the phrase get a tow) |
| 8. | short for ski tow |
| [Old English togian; related to Old Frisian togia, Old Norse toga, Old High German zogōn] | |
| 'towable1 | |
| —adj | |
| tow2 (təʊ) | |
| —n | |
| 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 |
| [Old English tōw; related to Old Saxon tou, Old Norse tō tuft of wool, Dutch touwen to spin] | |
| 'towy2 | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tow
"pull with a rope," O.E. togian "to drag, pull," from P.Gmc. *tugojanan (cf. O.E. teon "to draw," O.Fris. togia "to pull about," O.N. toga, O.H.G. zogon, Ger. ziehen "to draw, pull, drag"), from PIE base *deuk- "to pull, draw" (cf. L. ducere "to lead;" see duke). The noun meaning
"act or fact of being towed" is recorded from 1622. Towaway, in ref. to parking zones, is recorded from 1956.
tow
"coarse, broken fibers of flax, hemp, etc.," late 14c., probably from O.E. tow- "spinning" (in towlic "fit for spinning"), perhaps cognate with Gothic taujan "to do, make," M.Du. touwen "to knit, weave." Tow-head, in ref. to tousled blond hair, is recorded from 1830.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Easton
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
When the tow truck arrived, the driver discovered he couldn't pull the van to safety.
Report a problem with a tow truck company or driver.
There's a lot to be said for going to war with a photographer in tow, until something happens that you would rather forget.
Undeterred, he crept into the cemetery under cloak of darkness with a bemused sculptor in tow.
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