tow
verb/təʊ/
/təʊ/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they tow | /təʊ/ /təʊ/ |
| he / she / it tows | /təʊz/ /təʊz/ |
| past simple towed | /təʊd/ /təʊd/ |
| past participle towed | /təʊd/ /təʊd/ |
| -ing form towing | /ˈtəʊɪŋ/ /ˈtəʊɪŋ/ |
- tow something (+ adv./prep.) to pull a car, boat, etc. behind another vehicle, using a rope or chain
- Our car was towed away by the police.
- A glider was being towed into the air.
Synonyms pullpulldrag ▪ draw ▪ haul ▪ tow ▪ tugThese words all mean to move something in a particular direction, especially towards or behind you.pull to hold something and move it in a particular direction; to hold or be attached to a vehicle and move it along behind you:Topics Transport by waterc2- Pull the chair nearer the table.
- They use oxen to pull their carts.
- The sack is too heavy to lift—you’ll have to drag it.
- I drew my chair closer to the fire.
- a horse-drawn carriage
- Fishermen were hauling in their nets.
- Our car was towed away by the police.
- She tried to escape but he tugged her back.
- to pull/drag/draw/haul/tow/tug somebody/something along/down/towards something
- to pull/drag/draw/haul/tow somebody/something behind you
- to pull/drag/draw/haul a cart/sledge
- to pull/draw a coach/carriage
- to pull/haul/tow a truck
- horses pull/draw/haul something
- dogs pull/drag/haul something
- tow somebody (+ adv./prep.) (of a person) to pull somebody along behind you
- Vicky was towing Rosa along by the hand.
Word OriginOld English togian ‘draw, drag’, of Germanic origin; related to tug. The noun dates from the early 17th cent.
Homophones toe | towtoe tow
See tow in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary/təʊ/
/təʊ/
- toe noun
- He stepped on my toe while we were dancing!
- tow verb
- Luckily, a truck came to tow our car to safety.
- tow noun
- Can you give us a tow to a garage?
Check pronunciation:
tow