: a path (as along a canal) traveled especially by draft animals towing boats
called also towing path
Examples of towpath in a Sentence
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Mules on the towpath along the canal could pull a heavy barge at a clip of 4 miles per hour – far faster than the job of dragging wagons over primitive roads.
—
Christine Keiner, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
Scenic trees shaded private and public docks scattered along the towpath.
—Erik Trinidad, Travel + Leisure, 13 Oct. 2025
More than 600 cyclists will embark on a 400-mile ride along the Erie Canal towpath and part of the Empire State Trail from Buffalo to Albany.
—Gary Stoller, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Those who hike the trail have the opportunity to summit Mount Washington, the tallest peak in the northeast, walk along a peaceful creek, or follow in the footsteps of history where the trail becomes part of the towpath for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025
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Christine Keiner, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
Scenic trees shaded private and public docks scattered along the towpath.
—Erik Trinidad, Travel + Leisure, 13 Oct. 2025
More than 600 cyclists will embark on a 400-mile ride along the Erie Canal towpath and part of the Empire State Trail from Buffalo to Albany.
—Gary Stoller, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Those who hike the trail have the opportunity to summit Mount Washington, the tallest peak in the northeast, walk along a peaceful creek, or follow in the footsteps of history where the trail becomes part of the towpath for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for towpath
Cite this Entry
“Towpath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/towpath. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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towpath
noun
tow·path
ˈtō-ˌpath 
-ˌpȧth
: a path (as along a canal) traveled especially by animals (as horses or mules) towing boats
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