towed; towing; tows
: to draw or pull along behind : haul
tow a wagon
: to move in tow
trailers that tow behind the family auto—
Bob Munger
Bob Munger1
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
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
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 WebPeter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Adding to the rush-hour delays, a section of east Atlantic Boulevard was closed due to a diesel fuel spill from an 18-wheeler towing an Amazon trailer, 7News reported.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024
From his humble beginnings towing cars in high school to leading a national powerhouse like A1 Auto Transport, Taylor's journey underscores the pivotal role of flexibility in achieving success.
—Kalina Bryant, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The vessel, known as the Dali, will be towed back into the harbor and docked for a damage assessment.
—USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
The first ship, the Open Arms, which towed a barge to a makeshift jetty off Gaza on Friday, brought the territory the equivalent of about 10 truckloads of food — far less than the 500 trucks a day aid groups say are needed.
—David Segal, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024
The structure suggests the boats were towed using rope, allowing for the movement of goods, people and animals, likely for trade.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
As a result, people began leaving their cars at the intersection, knowing they’d likely get towed, and walking toward the event.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
He was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue told the Miami Herald.
Footage from the WSVN 7 News showed several police vehicles and a black car being towed from a residential neighborhood.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024
With critical raves and golden dollar signs on its side, expect Dune: Part Two to ride off into the desert on a sandworm with multiple Oscars in tow.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
His daredevil father Evel Knievel was in tow that day to wish his son luck.
—Rio Yamat, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
According to the federal complaint, the Boron man showed up at the home of the 21-year-old, two bags of guns in tow.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2024
Bischoff said the California Department of Transportation’s maintenance crews are patrolling the region around the clock with portable pumps in tow to avoid the possibility of additional flooding.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Tugboats are small ships that assist larger vessels by pushing or pulling them with direct contact or a tow line.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 28 Mar. 2024
Now in tow along with their treasured works by South African sculptor Lungiswa Gqunta and cushions by Japanese artist Miroco Machiko: the couple’s two children, daughter Gaia and son Skyler, and Charlie’s daughter Rainbow.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
Wear a visible hat, take a tow float and consider a thermal wet suit for buoyancy.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
Verb
Any vehicle – whether powered by gasoline, diesel fuel, or electricity – will lose significant driving range between refills when towing a trailer.
—Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Adding to the rush-hour delays, a section of east Atlantic Boulevard was closed due to a diesel fuel spill from an 18-wheeler towing an Amazon trailer, 7News reported.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024
From his humble beginnings towing cars in high school to leading a national powerhouse like A1 Auto Transport, Taylor's journey underscores the pivotal role of flexibility in achieving success.
—Kalina Bryant, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The vessel, known as the Dali, will be towed back into the harbor and docked for a damage assessment.
—USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
The first ship, the Open Arms, which towed a barge to a makeshift jetty off Gaza on Friday, brought the territory the equivalent of about 10 truckloads of food — far less than the 500 trucks a day aid groups say are needed.
—David Segal, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024
The structure suggests the boats were towed using rope, allowing for the movement of goods, people and animals, likely for trade.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
As a result, people began leaving their cars at the intersection, knowing they’d likely get towed, and walking toward the event.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
He was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue told the Miami Herald.
Footage from the WSVN 7 News showed several police vehicles and a black car being towed from a residential neighborhood.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024
Noun
There's nothing quite like settling in along the California coast with your kids in tow.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024
With critical raves and golden dollar signs on its side, expect Dune: Part Two to ride off into the desert on a sandworm with multiple Oscars in tow.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
His daredevil father Evel Knievel was in tow that day to wish his son luck.
—Rio Yamat, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
According to the federal complaint, the Boron man showed up at the home of the 21-year-old, two bags of guns in tow.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2024
Bischoff said the California Department of Transportation’s maintenance crews are patrolling the region around the clock with portable pumps in tow to avoid the possibility of additional flooding.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Tugboats are small ships that assist larger vessels by pushing or pulling them with direct contact or a tow line.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 28 Mar. 2024
Now in tow along with their treasured works by South African sculptor Lungiswa Gqunta and cushions by Japanese artist Miroco Machiko: the couple’s two children, daughter Gaia and son Skyler, and Charlie’s daughter Rainbow.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
Wear a visible hat, take a tow float and consider a thermal wet suit for buoyancy.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 14 Mar. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near tow
Cite this Entry
“Tow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tow. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tow
1 of 3 verb
: to draw or pull along behind
tow
2 of 3 noun1
: 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 noun1
: 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"
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