tower

noun tow·er \ ˈtau̇(-ə)r \

Definition of tower

1 :a building or structure typically higher than its diameter and high relative to its surroundings that may stand apart (such as a campanile) or be attached (such as a church belfry) to a larger structure and that may be fully walled in or of skeleton framework (such as an observation or transmission tower)

2 :a towering citadel :fortress

3 :one that provides support or protection :bulwark

a tower of strength

4 :a personal computer case that stands in an upright position

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towered

play \ˈtau̇(-ə)rd\ adjective

—

towerlike

play \ˈtau̇(-ə)r-ˌlīk\ adjective

See tower defined for English-language learners

See tower defined for kids

Examples of tower in a Sentence

a hill from which one can gaze upon the towers of that great and historic city

Recent Examples of tower from the Web

Atop the retail-garage structure would be three towers of 28, 29 and 34 stories (including the six-level base).

— sheldon s. shafer, The Courier-Journal, "Work to begin in September on bikeways, lane reductions on busy stretch of Lexington Road," 24 Aug. 2017
On Tuesday afternoon, the president addressed reporters in the tower's lobby, the first time the presidential seal has ever been on a podium there.

— sam dangremond, Town & Country, "Everything You Should Know About Trump Tower," 16 Aug. 2017
The Dubai Civil Defense said that the tower burned for at least two hours early on Friday morning, engulfing the exterior of 50 stories and 30 to 40 apartments.

— sophie weiner, Popular Mechanics, "Dubai's 'Torch' Tower Caught on Fire, Again," 4 Aug. 2017
Stoney Cox looks over the 220-acre operating engineers training facility in Weston from the top of a 100-foot tower crane.

— jacob gedetsis, kansascity, "High above KC’s changing skyline, crane operators build downtown’s revitalization," 4 Aug. 2017
The focus of the church is the rose window, in the back of the church, which rises 32 feet high with a three extra feet for the bell tower.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: History of Church of the Resurrection in Fernbank," 2 Aug. 2017
The 60-story Paramount condo tower at Miami Worldcenter in downtown Miami is relying on more than $50 million in EB-5 investment financing.

— rene rodriguez, jennifer lu and glenn garvin, miamiherald, "These visas may vanish, even though they have paid for lots of Miami buildings," 24 July 2017
Altogether, the government estimates that up to 240 tower blocks have the same sort of cladding as Grenfell.

— The Economist, "After Grenfell, councils scramble to fireproof their buildings," 20 July 2017
Some deals are being scrapped under scrutiny—as was the case, in January, with a tower in the Black Sea resort of Batumi.

— The Economist, "Not one to avoid a conflictHow Donald Trump is monetising his presidency," 20 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tower.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tower

Middle English tour, tor, from Old English torr & Anglo-French tur, tour, both from Latin turris, from Greek tyrris, tyrsis

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

tower Synonyms

Synonyms

cathedral, hall, palace, edifice

Related Words

construction, erection, structure; castle, château, countryseat, estate, hacienda, manor, manor house, mansion, showplace, villa; mausoleum, memorial, monument

tower

verb

Definition of tower

intransitive verb

1 :to reach or rise to a great height

2 :to exhibit superior qualities :surpass

her intellect towered over the others'

See tower defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of tower from the Web

That chunk of the California Coast seemed preternatural to me — towering redwood trees and cypress twisted by onshore winds, dramatic slopes of mountains dropping into white-capped waves that licked up into fog cover.

— maria finn, Longreads, "Can Love Sparked at Burning Man Last in Everyday Life?," 28 Aug. 2017
With the game scoreless in the bottom of the third, a pair of walks to Ryan Rinksy and Daniel Fraga set-up a towering Taylor Oldham three-run homer off Gateway (24-53) starter Dalton Shalberg (0-1), pushing Florence in front, 3-0.

— enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "Freedom near playoffs with big win streak," 15 Aug. 2017
Ruklick turned around and Mantis had grabbed Howard, a towering 6-8, 250-pound menace, by the jersey.

— mike hutton, Post-Tribune, "Nick Mantis, a man among boys in basketball at East Chicago Washington, dies," 14 Aug. 2017
On the virtually unlimited fetch and expanse of this planet's oceans, waves can tower to more than 50 feet, and in extreme conditions can approach 100 feet.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Ask Tom: What are 'full-fetch' winds?," 28 July 2017
In California, forecasters said prolonged heat would make snow melt faster in the Sierra Nevada, where massive winter storms coated towering peaks after years of drought.

— john antczak, The Seattle Times, "Southwest US preps for 120 temps: Water, water, more water," 16 June 2017
The U.S. Bill of Rights is, in this respect, a towering achievement, imposing clear limits on the desires of the majority.

— shadi hamid, The Atlantic, "How to Hate Each Other Peacefully in a Democracy," 11 June 2017
There have been times when the Celtics, the Bulls, the Lakers, the Spurs and the Heat have towered over their competition.

— adam lauridsen, Fast Break, "An Open Letter to Bored NBA Writers," 7 June 2017
Provided by Hobart Police Jeri Woods Columns & opinion Less than 50 miles southeast of Chicago is a 15-mile stretch of shifting sands and towering dunes formed over the centuries by the forces of nature.

— ruth ann krause, Chicago Tribune, "Northwest Indiana," 20 May 2017

First Known Use of tower

15th century

TOWER Defined for English Language Learners

tower

noun

Definition of tower for English Language Learners

: a tall, narrow building or structure that may stand apart from or be attached to another building or structure
: a tall piece of furniture used to store something
computers : a personal computer that stands in an upright position

TOWER Defined for Kids

tower

noun tow·er \ ˈtau̇-ər \

Definition of tower for Students

:a building or structure that is higher than its length or width, is higher than most of what surrounds it, and may stand by itself or be attached to a larger structure