Tow definition

tō
towed towing tows
See word origin
Frequency:
The coarse and broken fibers of hemp, flax, etc. before spinning.
noun
10
2
The act or an instance of towing.

Can you give my car a tow?

noun
4
0
A rope or cable used in towing.
noun
4
0
Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.
noun
3
0
To pull by a rope or chain.
verb
2
0
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Coarse broken flax or hemp fiber.
noun
1
0
A continuous untwisted bundle of manufactured fibers.
noun
1
0
An untwisted bundle of fibers such as cellulose acetate, flax, hemp or jute.
noun
1
0
Tow is defined as to drag behind, often with a rope or chain.

An example of tow is for a truck to pull a disabled vehicle to the repair shop.

verb
0
0
The definition of a tow is something being dragged, or the broken fibers of hemp or flax before spinning into thread.

An example of a tow is a boat being pulled along by a truck.

An example of tow is a broken flax fiber.

noun
0
0
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Tow means related to a device for dragging.

An example of tow used as an adjective is the phrase "tow truck," which means a truck for pulling disabled vehicles.

adjective
0
0
Something, such as a barge or car, that is towed.
noun
0
0
To pull or drag behind.
verb
0
0
A towing or being towed.
noun
0
0
Something towed.
noun
0
0
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noun
0
0
Of or resembling tow.
adjective
0
0
To pull something behind one using a line or chain; to haul.
verb
0
0
The act of towing and the condition of being towed.

It isn't the car's battery, I think I need a tow.

noun
0
0
Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.
noun
0
0
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Something, such as a barge, that is towed.
noun
0
0
A rope or cable used in towing.
noun
0
0
To draw or pull behind by a chain or line.

A tugboat towing a barge.

verb
0
1
in tow
  • In a condition of being towed:
    A car with a trailer in tow.
  • Under close guidance; in one's charge:
    The new student was taken in tow by a peer counselor.
  • As a companion or follower:
    Came to dinner with a friend in tow.
idiom
0
0
in tow
  • being towed
  • in one's company or retinue
  • under one's control or charge
idiom
0
0
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
tow
Plural:
tows

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Origin of tow

  • Middle English possibly from Old English tow- spinning (in towcræft spinning craft, spinning)

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Middle English towen from Old English togian deuk- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Origin uncertain; compare Old Norse tó (“uncleansed wool"), Old English tow- (“spinning") (in compounds, e.g. towcræft, towhÅ«s), perhaps cognate with Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽 (taujan, “do, make").

    From Wiktionary

  • Old English toÄ¡ian, from Proto-Germanic *tugōnÄ… (German ziehen, Dutch tijgen), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk-.

    From Wiktionary

Tow Sentence Examples

  • Said he'd cut it on his tow bar.

  • Carmen's truck broke down and I'm going to tow it home for her.

  • A tow truck had already arrived and its flashing lights competed with a half dozen others while at least a dozen people moved about, with most of their activity directed downward.

  • The Columbia plateau consists of horizontal beds of lava having a total thickness of several thousand feet, and its surface has a general elevation of tow to 2000 ft.

  • Submarine CI had parted its tow and did not reach the scene in time.

More sentences

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Words near tow in the Dictionary