tow
(redirected from towable)Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
tow
pull or haul by a rope, chain, or other device: They had to tow my car.
Not to be confused with:
toe – a digit on the foot of certain mammals: He stubbed his toe.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
tow 1
(tō)tr.v. towed, tow·ing, tows
To draw or pull behind by a chain or line: a tugboat towing a barge. See Synonyms at pull.
n.
Idiom: 1. The act or an instance of towing: Can you give my car a tow?
2.
a. Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.
b. Something, such as a barge or car, that is towed.
3. A rope or cable used in towing.
in tow
1. In a condition of being towed: a car with a trailer in tow.
2. Under close guidance; in one's charge: The new student was taken in tow by a peer counselor.
3. As a companion or follower: came to dinner with a friend in tow.
tow′a·ble adj.
tow′er n.
tow 2
(tō)n.
1. Coarse broken flax or hemp fiber.
2. A continuous untwisted bundle of manufactured fibers.
[Middle English, possibly from Old English tow-, spinning (in towcræft, spinning craft, spinning).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
tow
(təʊ)vb
(tr) to pull or drag (a vehicle, boat, etc), esp by means of a rope or cable
n
1. the act or an instance of towing
2. the state of being towed (esp in the phrases in tow, under tow, on tow)
3. something towed
4. something used for towing
5. in tow in one's charge or under one's influence
6. (Motor Racing) informal (in motor racing, etc) the act of taking advantage of the slipstream of another car (esp in the phrase get a tow)
7. (Skiing) short for ski tow
[Old English togian; related to Old Frisian togia, Old Norse toga, Old High German zogōn]
ˈtowable adj
tow
(təʊ)n
1. (Textiles) the fibres of hemp, flax, jute, etc, in the scutched state
2. (Textiles) synthetic fibres preparatory to spinning
3. (Textiles) the coarser fibres discarded after combing
[Old English tōw; related to Old Saxon tou, Old Norse tō tuft of wool, Dutch touwen to spin]
ˈtowy adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
tow1
(toʊ)v.t.
1. to pull or haul (a car, barge, trailer, etc.) by a rope, chain, or other device.
n. 2. an act or instance of towing.
3. something being towed.
4. something, as a boat or truck, that tows.
5. a rope, chain, metal bar, or other device for towing.
6. ski tow.
Idioms: 1. in tow,
a. in the state of being towed.
b. under one's guidance; in one's charge.
c. as a follower, admirer, or companion.
2. under tow, in the condition of being towed; in tow.
[before 1000; Middle English; Old English togian to drag, c. Old Frisian togia, Old High German zogōn, Old Norse toga; akin to tug]
tow2
(toʊ)n.
1. the fiber of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning by scutching.
2.
a. the shorter, less desirable fibers of flax, hemp, or jute separated in scutching and used for twine, yarn, etc.
b. yarn or fabric made from this.
[1350–1400; Middle English; Old English tōw- (in tōwlīc pertaining to thread, tōwhūs spinning house); akin to Old Saxon tou, Old Norse tō tow, wool]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Tow
a string of barges being towed, 1805.Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
tow
Past participle: towed
Gerund: towing
Imperative |
---|
tow |
tow |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | tow - the act of hauling something (as a vehicle) by means of a hitch or rope; "the truck gave him a tow to the garage" |
Verb | 1. | tow - drag behind; "Horses used to tow barges along the canal" pull along, schlep, shlep - pull along heavily, like a heavy load against a resistance; "Can you shlep this bag of potatoes upstairs?"; "She pulled along a large trunk" tug - tow (a vessel) with a tug; "The tugboat tugged the freighter into the harbor" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
tow
verb
noun
1. drag, pull, haul, tug I can give you a tow if you want.
in tow accompanying, following, in attendance, by your side, in convoy, in your charge, under your protection There she was on my doorstep with child in tow.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
tow
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
قَطْر، جَريَقْطُر، يَجُر
vlécivlek
slæbetræktrække
vontatás
dragatog, dráttur
buksyrasvilkimas
buksēšanaņemt tauvāvilkšanavilkt
vlek
vleči
tow
1 [təʊ]A. N
B. VT
2. (fig) to tow sth about → llevar algo consigo
C. CPD tow bar N → barra f de remolque
tow car N (US) → grúa f, coche m de remolque
tow line N (Naut) (at sea) → maroma f de remolque; (on canal) → sirga f (Aut) → remolque m, cable m de remolque
tow truck N (esp US) → camión m grúa, grúa f, coche m de remolque
tow car N (US) → grúa f, coche m de remolque
tow line N (Naut) (at sea) → maroma f de remolque; (on canal) → sirga f (Aut) → remolque m, cable m de remolque
tow truck N (esp US) → camión m grúa, grúa f, coche m de remolque
tow
2 [təʊ] N (Textiles) → estopa fCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
tow
[ˈtəʊ] n
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
tow
:towbar
n → Anhängerkupplung f
towboat
n → Schleppschiff nt, → Schlepper m
towcar
n (esp US) → Abschleppwagen m
tow
:towpath
n → Treidelpfad m
towplane
n → Schleppflugzeug nt
towrope
n = towline
tow start
tow truck
n (US) → Abschleppwagen m
tow
1tow
2n to take a car in tow → ein Auto abschleppen; to take a yacht in tow → eine Jacht schleppen or ins Schlepptau nehmen; to give somebody/a car a tow (in car) → jdn/ein Auto abschleppen; (to start) → jdn/ein Auto anschleppen; do you want a tow? → soll ich Sie abschleppen/anschleppen?; to give a yacht a tow → eine Jacht schleppen or ins Schlepptau nehmen; “on tow” → ˜ „Fahrzeug wird abgeschleppt“; in tow (fig) → im Schlepptau
vt boat, glider → schleppen; car also → abschleppen; (to start) → anschleppen; trailer, caravan → ziehen; he was towing a huge dog behind him → er zog or schleifte einen riesigen Hund hinter sich (dat) → her
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
tow
[təʊ]1. n → rimorchio
to give sb a tow (Aut) → rimorchiare qn
to be on tow → essere a rimorchio
"on tow", (Am) "in tow" → "veicolo rimorchiato"
he arrived with a friend in tow (fig) (fam) → si è portato dietro un amico
to give sb a tow (Aut) → rimorchiare qn
to be on tow → essere a rimorchio
"on tow", (Am) "in tow" → "veicolo rimorchiato"
he arrived with a friend in tow (fig) (fam) → si è portato dietro un amico
2. vt (boat, car, caravan) → rimorchiare
to tow a car away → portar via una macchina con il carro attrezzi
to tow a car away → portar via una macchina con il carro attrezzi
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
tow
(təu) verb to pull (a ship, barge, car, trailer etc) by a rope, chain or cable. The tugboat towed the ship out of the harbour; The car broke down and had to be towed to the garage.
noun (an) act of towing or process of being towed. Give us a tow!
ˈtowline/ˈtow-rope nouns a rope etc used in towing.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
- Could you send a tow truck? (US)
Can you send a breakdown van? (UK) - Could you tow me to a repair shop? (US)
Can you tow me to a garage? (UK)
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009