I. ˈtō verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English towen, from Old English togian; akin to Old High German zogōn to tow, Old Norse toga; akin to Old English tēon to draw, pull, Old High German ziohan, Gothic tiuhan to draw, pull, Latin ducere to lead, draw, Greek dai dussesthai to drag, Albanian nduk to pull out, pluck
transitive verb
1. : to drag or pull along : haul , propel
tightening his hold on her wrist, he started through the … door, towing her along with him — Richard Burke
men … towed and tugged by a perpetually retreating objective — Claud Cockburn
2.
a. : to draw (as a ship or a disabled car) or pull along behind by a rope or chain
towed her into dry dock for repairs
towed the wrecked auto to the nearest garage
a transport plane towing gliders
more efficient for a tug to tow the ship — New York Times
b. : to push along (as a string of canal or river barges) — used of a powerboat behind a tow
intransitive verb
: to move in tow
piloting a ship that was towing into the river — Archie Binns
riding out of town with a couple of pack ponies towing along behind him — H.L.Davis
Synonyms: see pull
II. noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
1. : a rope or chain for towing
coal barges … snapped their tow in a storm — Joseph Mitchell
2.
a. : the act or an instance of towing
took a tow for the last few miles — Alan Villiers
b. : the fact or state of being towed
a damaged ship … in the tow of a tug — E.L.Beach
3. : something towed: as
a. : a boat or barge in tow or requiring towing
b. : a string of barges lashed together and pushed (as on the Mississippi river and tributaries) by a towboat
watched the other tow pass, the barges looming up in the night, and then the towboat — Richard Bissell
puffing tugs with tows of logs — American Guide Series: Washington
flying the left glider in our tow — J.W.Bellah
4.
a. : something that tows (as a towboat or tugboat)
two diesel-powered, screw-driven tows — Time
b. : ski tow
5. : the specimens taken in a townet
sorting out the desired food from a plankton tow — Ecology
•
- in tow
III. noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English tow- spinning; akin to Old Norse tō tuft of wool for spinning, Gothic taui work, doing, taujan to make, do — more at taw
1. : short broken fiber removed from flax, hemp, or jute during scutching or hackling and used for yarn, twine, stuffing
2. : hurds
3. : yarn or cloth made of tow — usually used attributively
tow trousers
tow sack
4. : a loose untwisted rope of textile filaments that is suitable for cutting into staple fiber
rayon tow
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English (Scots), probably from Old English toh- (in tohlīne towline); akin to Old Norse tog, taug rope, line, tow, Old English tēag rope, cord, togian to tow — more at tow I
1. archaic : an attached iron chain or link for drawing a plow
2. chiefly Scot & dialect England : rope: as
a. : a rope attached to a bell
b. : a ship's rope
c. : cable
d. : hangman's halter