tow

1 of 4

verb

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 autoBob 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
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

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 post showed his truck being towed from a parking lot — though Chiarello mentioned, with evident annoyance, that Tesla’s service center was not even open that day. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 Five men — one to control traffic, one to drive the truck towing a machine that keeps hot asphalt mix from drying and three filling, smoothing and tamping down the holes — went hunting through several residential streets on the near eastside. Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 Plans to tow the ship to a safe port never materialized. Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2024 The vessel had been abandoned for 12 days after the attack, though plans had been made to try and tow the ship to a safe port. TIME, 2 Mar. 2024 This timepiece tows the perfect balance between past and present. Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 23 Feb. 2024 The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the mechanic stated that the power steering pump needed to be replaced, and that the vehicle was previously repaired. Detroit Free Press, 1 Mar. 2024 Paid parking is nearby, beware of street parking in the afternoon–you could be towed. Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 The whale was towed to nearby UC San Diego for a necropsy in hopes of determining the animal’s cause of death. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
And with a label team in tow, life is moving faster than ever for the burgeoning Florida native. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 San Diego Latino Film Festival: The San Diego Latino Film Festival returns this weekend with three decades of history in tow and a new creative director, Maria Paula Lorgia. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024 In tow was Madonna's 11-year-old daughter Estere, who struck a pose in a sleeveless black and gold leotard, black boots and long braids, earning a perfect 10 from the judges. USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 Shortly after dodging reporters’ inquiries, Melvin departed earlier than normal for Peoria Sports Complex, with Jung Hoo Lee in tow. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 With a Birkin in tow, Jennifer Lopez is prepared to conquer whatever comes her way on days off. Alex Kessler, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 Many have spouses and kids and their respective sniffles in tow. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 On Wednesday, the Only Murders in the Building costars, who are both in their 70s, were spotted leaving dinner with friends in tow in Santa Monica. Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 23 Feb. 2024 The family scrambled, dogs in tow, to an underground parking garage. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 "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

Time Traveler
The first known use of tow was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near tow

Cite this Entry

“Tow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tow. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tow

1 of 3 verb
: 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"

More from Merriam-Webster on tow

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