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

The vehicle was towed from the freeway on-ramp that the suspect had abandoned it on. —Pilar Arias, Fox News, 23 May 2024

The car of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is towed away from the pit of Kyle Busch during the NASCAR All-Star auto race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, N.C., Sunday, May 19, 2024. —CBS News, 20 May 2024

They could even be towed or carried by landing craft and deployed upon arrival in shallow water. —Frank A. Blazich Jr., The Conversation, 20 May 2024

It was subsequently towed back to the U.K., sadly limping into Dover harbor on England’s south coast. —Tom Rivers, ABC News, 18 May 2024

The agency reported Ella fell in the ocean near Nixon Beach while being towed about a mile from shore and was struck by another vessel at 4:30 p.m. The beach is in Miami-Dade County about 7 miles south of downtown Miami. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 17 May 2024

It was towed off by a tractor, an event captured by artwork on Beykush’s back label. —Eric Asimov, New York Times, 16 May 2024

After the incident, police discovered two vehicles parked on the ramp to the interstate, which were then towed away from the scene. —Greg Wehner, Fox News, 12 May 2024

If the vehicle is not in their system, it may have been towed by another agency, including the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office or the Jeffersontown Police Department. —Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, The Courier-Journal, 11 May 2024

Noun

Bumble apologizes for its recent ad campaign, Sherry House will become Ford’s first female CFO, and Melinda French Gates prepares for the next chapter of her philanthropy—with $12.5 billion in tow. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 14 May 2024

From Los Cabos to Puerto Vallarta and the Mexican Caribbean, most families in the United States can be somewhere on the ground in Mexico in four hours or less — a significant plus when the entire brood is in tow. —Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 11 May 2024

Also in tow will be owners Emily Bushnell and Ric Waldman, each making the storied stroll for the first time. —John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024

For example, you may be tasked with swimming near certain ruins with a specific creature in tow. —PCMAG, 30 Apr. 2024

The Durango, with the Acura in tow, then drove away from the intersection when the light turned green. —David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024

After the trophy ceremony the Chiefs players—family and friends in tow—headed to a Las Vegas nightclub. —Sean Gregory / Dallas, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024

The piece, from 2001, had been worn by Victoria in the early aughts on the sidelines of a soccer game with a tiny Brooklyn in tow, but Nicola actually got her jacket as a gift from her mother, Claudia Peltz. —Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024

Battle-scarred Lee has closed herself off in order to perform, but opens up with young Jessie in tow. —Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024

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

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"