tow

verb

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\ ˈtō

towed; towing; tows

Definition of tow

(Entry 1 of 4)

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

noun (1)

Definition of tow (Entry 2 of 4)

1a : the act or an instance of towing

b : the fact or state of being towed

2a : something towed (such as a boat or car)

b : a group of barges lashed together and usually pushed

3a : something (such as a tugboat) that tows

b : ski tow

4 : a rope or chain for towing

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

tow

noun (2)

Definition of tow (Entry 3 of 4)

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

2a : yarn or cloth made of tow

b : a loose essentially untwisted strand of synthetic fibers

tow

noun (3)

Definition of tow (Entry 4 of 4)

chiefly Scotland and dialects of England

: rope

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing tow Learn More About tow

Synonyms & Antonyms for tow

Synonyms: Verb

Antonyms: Verb

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.

First Known Use of tow

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

History and Etymology for tow

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).