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

• pull
• haul
• drag

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

That ship was eventually towed to a Netherlands port for salvage. —Mark Thiessen, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025

The three-year-old boy was rushed to the Upper River Valley Hospital in nearby Waterville, after it was confirmed that he had been struck by a starting gate as it was being towed to the venue’s grandstand by a pickup truck, CBC News and CTV News reported. —Latoya Gayle, People.com, 20 June 2025

Noun

But that bartering went sideways as Thune called the procedural vote, with three Republicans voting against it — the maximum leadership could lose with Vance in tow. —David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 29 June 2025

Holding its 24th edition from July 4 – 12, the Swiss showcase for fantastical film, Asian cinema and digital creation has evolved in tow, growing from upstart to institution as outré fare and auteurs seized ever-greater opportunities. —Ben Croll, Variety, 27 June 2025

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

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

Rhymes for tow

• beau
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux

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"