tow

1 of 4

verb

ˈtō 

towed; towing; tows

transitive verb

: to draw or pull along behind : haul

tow a wagon

intransitive verb

: to move in tow

trailers that tow behind the family auto

—Bob Munger

tow

2 of 4

noun (1)

1

a

: the act or an instance of towing

b

: the fact or state of being towed

2

a

: something towed (such as a boat or car)

b

: a group of barges lashed together and usually pushed

3

a

: something (such as a tugboat) that tows

b

: ski tow

4

: a rope or chain for towing

tow

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

: short or broken fiber (as of flax, hemp, or synthetic material) that is used especially for yarn, twine, or stuffing

2

a

: yarn or cloth made of tow

b

: a loose essentially untwisted strand of synthetic fibers

tow

4 of 4

noun (3)

chiefly Scotland and dialects of England

: rope

Phrases

in tow

1

: accompanying or following usually as an attending or dependent party

not easy shopping with kids in tow

2

: under guidance or protection

taken in tow by a friendly native

Synonyms

Verb

• drag
• draw
• hale
• haul
• lug
• pull
• tug

Examples of tow in a Sentence

Verb

The car was towed to the nearest garage after the accident.

The police towed my car because it was parked illegally.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Other amendments to the ordinances will be enforced much sooner - specifically changes requiring towing companies to provide the city with a list of all their drivers, who will either have to wear I.D. tags or keep them on their person to provide if asked, Bernard said. —Heather Gann | [e-mail], al, 12 Sep. 2023

Violators will be ticketed and towed if parked in violation. —Peter Chakerian, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2023

The federal probe snagged politicians from both sides of the aisle and businessmen in Wayne and Oakland counties, including trash kingpin Chuck Rizzo and towing titan Gasper Fiore. —Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 6 Sep. 2023

After police officers took the woman to the towing company’s lot to retrieve her children, she was cited for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and allowed to leave. —Salvador Rizzo, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023

Regardless of their powertrain, both models are rated to tow up to 3500 pounds. —Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 17 Aug. 2023

Cleveland Heights police responded and had the car towed. —cleveland, 31 Aug. 2023

And Here’s Why Kwon was towing fuel, which might seem like a large amount of extra cargo. —Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 29 Aug. 2023

The 110 square-foot layout is totally turnkey, and can be sized to be towed on highways and roadways quickly and efficiently. —Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023

Noun

Neighbors, sponsors and runners flocked to the college for an 8 a.m. race time with supporters and kids in tow. —oregonlive, 17 Sep. 2023

Many of the same people attended this week’s Coronado library board with their young children in tow. —Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2023

That anyone would go before Congress — CONGRESS — with fake aliens in tow is simply bonkers. —Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023

After the crash, the tow boat operator sounded the alarm and deckhands put a boat into the water to help White and his son, officials said in a news release. —Tanasia Kenney The Charlotte Observer (tns), al, 11 Sep. 2023

The bee repeatedly left and returned to its nest with materials such as grasses in tow. —Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023

Near the village of Ram Hamdan, also in Idlib, Ali al-Mansour, 43, was tending his sheep one day in 2019 with his 5-year-old son in tow when the child handed him a metal object that looked like a toy and and asked him to take it apart. —Time, 5 Sep. 2023

For Rebel, her low-impact walking cardio usually takes place in the early morning or at sunset, with little Royce in tow. —Olivia Evans, Women's Health, 5 Sep. 2023

The website is filled with photos of McCartney playing beside his bandmates during The Beatles’ glory days with the iconic instrument in tow. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 4 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English towen "to pull, tug, haul," going back to Old English togian, going back to Germanic *togōjan- (whence also Old Frisian togia "to haul away," Old High German zogōn "to obtain," Old Icelandic toga "to draw, pull"), weak-verb derivative from zero-grade of *teuhan- "to draw, pull," a strong verb (whence Old English tēon, past tēah, tugon, past participle togen "to pull, draw, entice, bring up, educate," Old Frisian tiā "to draw, pull, educate," Old Saxon tiohan "to pull, haul, rear," Old High German ziohan "to pull, lead, rear, foster," Old Icelandic toginn "drawn [of a sword]," Gothic tiuhan "to lead, bring"), going back to an Indo-European verbal base *deu̯k-, whence also Welsh dygaf "(I) bring, lead" (verbal noun dwyn), Latin dūcō, dūcere "to lead, conduct, draw, pull (of draught animals)"

Note: The base *deu̯k- is best attested as a primary verb stem with the meanings "lead, bring" and "pull (a conveyance)" in the western Indo-European group Celtic, Germanic, and Italic. Other semantically and/or morphologically more distant connections (in Albanian, Greek, and Tocharian) are pointed out in H. Rix, et al., Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2. Auflage, Wiesbaden, 2001.

Noun (1)

derivative of tow entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English tow, towe "unworked flax, fiber of flax or another material prepared for spinning," of uncertain origin

Note: The Middle English word has been associated with Old English tow-, which appears as the initial element of a series of compounds: towcræft "spinning," towhūs "building or room for spinning," towlic "used for spinning," towtōl "spinning implement." Whatever the likelihood of this element as its source, Middle English tow(e) is matched exactly in form by Middle Dutch touwe, tou "coarse flax, rope," and Middle Low German tow, towe "rope." While the Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, is noncommital on its origin, the editors of the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology state unreservedly that tow(e) is borrowed from Middle Low German touw [sic]. Cognate with the Middle Low German and Middle Dutch words are Old Frisian tauwe, towe "rope," Old Saxon tou "flax fiber," and Old Icelandic tó "tuft of wool." These appear to go back to Germanic tauwa-, which would yield unattested Old English *tēaw-, not tow-. G. Kroonen (Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Brill, 2013) links the Germanic etymon with Indo-European *deh₁- "tie, bind" (see diadem), but this would appear unlikely if "flax fiber" was the original meaning and "rope" secondary. Older hypotheses connect it with Germanic *taujan- "to do, make" (see taw entry 1).

Noun (3)

early Scots tow, towe, probably borrowed from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German tow, towe "rope" — more at tow entry 3

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (1)

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tow

• ski tow
• take in tow
• tow bar
• tow-away zone
• tow sack
• rope tow
• tow truck
• on tow
• in tow

• ski tow
• take in tow
• tow bar
• tow-away zone
• tow sack
• rope tow
• tow truck
• on tow
• in tow

See More

Kids Definition

tow

1 of 3 verb

ˈtō 

: to draw or pull along behind

tow

2 of 3 noun

1

: a line or rope for towing

2

: an act or instance of towing or the fact or condition of being towed

3

: something (as a barge) that tows or is towed

tow

3 of 3 noun

1

: short broken fiber from flax, hemp, or jute used for yarn, twine, or stuffing

2

: yarn or cloth made of tow

Etymology

Verb

Old English togian "to tow"

Noun

Old English tow- "spinning"