towing

tow¹ /toʊ/USA pronunciation v. [~ + object]

to pull or haul (a car, etc.) by a rope, chain, etc.:They towed my car to the garage.

Idioms

Idioms in tow:

Also, under tow. in the state of being towed:The ship returned to port in tow of a tugboat.
under one's guidance;
in one's charge:The teacher entered the museum with her class in tow.
(following one) as a follower, admirer, or companion:The movie star walked down the street, autograph hounds in tow.

tow¹ (tō),USA pronunciation

to pull or haul (a car, barge, trailer, etc.) by a rope, chain, or other device:The car was towed to the service station.

an act or instance of towing.
something being towed.
something, as a boat or truck, that tows.
a rope, chain, metal bar, or other device for towing:The trailer is secured to the car by a metal tow.
See ski tow.
in tow:
- in the state of being towed.
- under one's guidance;
  in one's charge.
- as a follower, admirer, or companion:a professor who always had a graduate student in tow.
under tow, in the condition of being towed;
in tow.

bef. 1000; Middle English towen (verb, verbal), Old English togian to pull by force, drag; cognate with Middle High German zogen to draw, tug, drag. See tug

tow ′a•ble, adj.
tow′a•bil ′i•ty, n.

tow² (tō),USA pronunciation

adj.

1300–50; Middle English; Old English tōw- (in tōwlīc pertaining to thread, tōwhūs spinning house); akin to Old Norse tō wool

tow³ (tō),USA pronunciation n. [Scot.]

1425–75; late Middle English (Scots); Old English toh- (in tohlīne towline); cognate with Old Norse tog towline. See tow¹

TOW (tō),USA pronunciation n.

Militarya U.S. Army antitank missile, steered to its target by two thin wires connected to a computerized launcher, which is mounted on a vehicle or helicopter.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tow /təʊ/ vb

(transitive) to pull or drag (a vehicle, boat, etc), esp by means of a rope or cable

the act or an instance of towing
the state of being towed (esp in the phrases in tow, under tow, on tow)
something towed
something used for towing
in tow ⇒ in one's charge or under one's influence
informal (in motor racing, etc) the act of taking advantage of the slipstream of another car (esp in the phrase get a tow)
short for ski tow

Etymology: Old English togian; related to Old Frisian togia, Old Norse toga, Old High German zogōn
ˈtowable adj

tow /təʊ/ n

the fibres of hemp, flax, jute, etc, in the scutched state

synthetic fibres preparatory to spinning

Etymology: Old English tōw; related to Old Saxon tou, Old Norse tō tuft of wool, Dutch touwen to spinˈtowy adj

'towing' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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