Tow

/toʊ/

Meaning & Definition

noun

The act of towing; the process of pulling something.

The tow of the broken car cost them a lot more than expected.

A unit of measurement for a set of goods or cargo that is towed.

The tow was too heavy for the small boat to handle safely.

verb

To pull or drag (a vehicle or a person) behind another vehicle using a rope, chain, or other means.

The car broke down, so we had to tow it to the nearest garage.

To transport a vehicle using another vehicle.

The truck will tow the boat to the marina for us.

To draw or pull along a certain path.

They used a horse to tow the wagon filled with supplies.

Middle English 'towe', from Old English 'tāwan', meaning 'to pull, draw'.

tow truck:

A vehicle equipped to tow disabled cars.

tow away:

To remove a vehicle by towing.

tow line:

The rope or chain used for towing.

Tow your boat

They decided to tow their boat to the lake for the weekend.

Get towed

He left his car parked illegally and got towed.