tow

B2 Topic:Transportation

US /toʊ/ UK /təʊ/ See IPA manual

Homophones

Freq #8202

Meanings

1

verb
to pull a vehicle, boat, or other object behind another vehicle, usually with a rope or bar

A rescue boat came to tow the damaged yacht back to harbor.
2

noun
an act of towing, or a vehicle or vessel being pulled

The broken-down car needed a tow to the nearest garage.
3

noun
coarse, short fibers of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning

The workers twisted the tow into rough cordage.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to pull a vehicle, boat, or... pull haul drag

2 noun · an act of towing, or a... towagehaul

3 noun · coarse, short fibers of... hards

Opposites

push

Word family

Forms towed

Derived forms towboattowlinetowpathtow truckundertow

Related forms tug haul oakum

Common collocations

tow truck Noun + noun

Etymology

The pulling verb comes from Old English togian 'to pull or drag,' a Germanic relative of tug. The fiber noun is a separate Old English word, tow, used in compounds for spinning and referring to uncleaned or coarse textile fibers. Their identical modern spelling is accidental.

Topics

Transportation

External links

# tow

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /toʊ/
**IPA (UK):** /təʊ/
**Frequency rank:** 8202

## Meanings
1. to pull a vehicle, boat, or other object behind another vehicle, usually with a rope or bar
2. an act of towing, or a vehicle or vessel being pulled
3. coarse, short fibers of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning

## Examples
- A rescue boat came to tow the damaged yacht back to harbor.
- The broken-down car needed a tow to the nearest garage.
- The workers twisted the tow into rough cordage.

## Synonyms
- pull
- haul
- drag
- towage

## Antonyms
- push

## Derived Forms
- towboat
- towline
- towpath
- tow truck
- undertow

## Related Forms
- tug
- haul
- oakum

## Etymology
The pulling verb comes from Old English togian 'to pull or drag,' a Germanic relative of tug. The fiber noun is a separate Old English word, tow, used in compounds for spinning and referring to uncleaned or coarse textile fibers. Their identical modern spelling is accidental.

## Topics
- Transportation

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