Library / English Dictionary

TOW

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of hauling something (as a vehicle) by means of a hitch or rope

Example:

the truck gave him a tow to the garage

Synonyms:

tow; towage

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("tow" is a kind of...):

draw; haul; haulage (the act of drawing or hauling something)

Derivation:

tow (drag behind)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Drag behind

Example:

Horses used to tow barges along the canal

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "tow" is one way to...):

pull along; schlep; shlep (pull along heavily, like a heavy load against a resistance)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "tow"):

tug (tow (a vessel) with a tug)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

tow; towage (the act of hauling something (as a vehicle) by means of a hitch or rope)

tower (a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Being in this disconsolate state, I heard, or at least thought I heard, some kind of grating noise on that side of my box where the staples were fixed; and soon after I began to fancy that the box was pulled or towed along the sea; for I now and then felt a sort of tugging, which made the waves rise near the tops of my windows, leaving me almost in the dark.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Cheerful along with me; retired when others is by; fond of going any distance fur to teach a child, or fur to tend a sick person, or fur to do some kindness tow'rds a young girl's wedding (and she's done a many, but has never seen one); fondly loving of her uncle; patient; liked by young and old; sowt out by all that has any trouble.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Possibly he had seen men towed before.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I rested two or three minutes, and then gave the boat another shove, and so on, till the sea was no higher than my arm-pits; and now, the most laborious part being over, I took out my other cables, which were stowed in one of the ships, and fastened them first to the boat, and then to nine of the vessels which attended me; the wind being favourable, the seamen towed, and I shoved, until we arrived within forty yards of the shore; and, waiting till the tide was out, I got dry to the boat, and by the assistance of two thousand men, with ropes and engines, I made a shift to turn it on its bottom, and found it was but little damaged.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Few things could have been more to their liking than to give him a tow over the side, for to the forecastle he had sent messes and concoctions of the vilest order.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Then they gave up, letting the boat drift till a second boat, sent from the shore by Wolf Larsen, took them in tow and brought them aboard.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The wind was favourable, and I had thought to tow them back under sail, but the wind baffled, then died away, and our progress with the oars was a snail’s pace.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

At the dark end of the first day we returned, exhausted, to our little cove, towing the mainmast behind us.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

“No more grease and dirt, mind, and a clean shirt occasionally, or you’ll get a tow over the side. Understand?”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Wolf Larsen was smoking a cigar and examining the patent log which the Ghost usually towed astern, but which had been hauled in for some purpose.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)