tower


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tow·er

 (tou′ər)
n.
1. A building or part of a building that is exceptionally high in proportion to its width and length.
2. A tall, slender structure used for observation, signaling, or pumping.
3. One that conspicuously embodies strength, firmness, or another virtue.
4. Computers A computer system whose components are arranged in a vertical stack and housed in a tall, narrow cabinet.
intr.v. tow·ered, tow·er·ing, tow·ers
1. To appear at or rise to a conspicuous height; loom: "There he stood, grown suddenly tall, towering above them" (J.R.R. Tolkien).
2. To fly directly upward before swooping or falling. Used of certain birds.
3. To demonstrate great superiority; be preeminent: towers over other poets of the day.

[Middle English tur, tour, towr, from Old English torr and from Old French tur, both from Latin turris, probably from Greek tursis, turris.]
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.

tower

(ˈtaʊə)
n
1. (Architecture) a tall, usually square or circular structure, sometimes part of a larger building and usually built for a specific purpose: a church tower; a control tower.
2. (Fortifications) a place of defence or retreat
3. (Historical Terms) a mobile structure used in medieval warfare to attack a castle, etc
4. tower of strength a person who gives support, comfort, etc
vb
(intr) to be or rise like a tower; loom
[C12: from Old French tur, from Latin turris, from Greek]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tow•er

(ˈtaʊ ər)

n.
1. a building or structure higher than it is wide, either isolated or forming part of a building.
2. such a structure used as or intended for a stronghold, fortress, prison, etc.
3. any of various fully enclosed fireproof housings, as staircases, between the stories of a building.
4. any structure, contrivance, or object that resembles or suggests a tower.
5. a vertical case designed to house a computer system standing on the floor.
6. a tall, movable structure used in ancient and medieval warfare in storming a fortified place.
v.i.
7. to rise or extend far upward, as a tower; reach or stand high.
8. to rise above or surpass others.
[1250–1300; Middle English tour < Old French < Latin turris < Greek týrris, variant of týrsis tower]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

tower

  • tower - A group of giraffes.
  • spire, steeple - A spire is the tall pointed roof of a tower or the tall pointed structure on top of a steeple; a steeple is the tower plus the spire.
  • ziggurat - A tower in the form of a terraced pyramid.
  • Big Ben - Not the clock in the tower of the Houses of Parliament but the bell itself.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

Tower

 a raised pile of something that resembles a tower.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

tower


Past participle: towered
Gerund: towering

Imperative
tower
tower
Present
I tower
you tower
he/she/it towers
we tower
you tower
they tower
Preterite
I towered
you towered
he/she/it towered
we towered
you towered
they towered
Present Continuous
I am towering
you are towering
he/she/it is towering
we are towering
you are towering
they are towering
Present Perfect
I have towered
you have towered
he/she/it has towered
we have towered
you have towered
they have towered
Past Continuous
I was towering
you were towering
he/she/it was towering
we were towering
you were towering
they were towering
Past Perfect
I had towered
you had towered
he/she/it had towered
we had towered
you had towered
they had towered
Future
I will tower
you will tower
he/she/it will tower
we will tower
you will tower
they will tower
Future Perfect
I will have towered
you will have towered
he/she/it will have towered
we will have towered
you will have towered
they will have towered
Future Continuous
I will be towering
you will be towering
he/she/it will be towering
we will be towering
you will be towering
they will be towering
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been towering
you have been towering
he/she/it has been towering
we have been towering
you have been towering
they have been towering
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been towering
you will have been towering
he/she/it will have been towering
we will have been towering
you will have been towering
they will have been towering
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been towering
you had been towering
he/she/it had been towering
we had been towering
you had been towering
they had been towering
Conditional
I would tower
you would tower
he/she/it would tower
we would tower
you would tower
they would tower
Past Conditional
I would have towered
you would have towered
he/she/it would have towered
we would have towered
you would have towered
they would have towered
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

tower

A very tall structure, usually square or circular, designed for observation, communication, and defense.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.tower - a structure taller than its diametertower - a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
barbacan, barbican - a tower that is part of a defensive structure (such as a castle)
beacon light, lighthouse, pharos, beacon - a tower with a light that gives warning of shoals to passing ships
bell tower - a tower that supports or shelters a bell
church tower - the tower of a church
clock tower - a tower with a large clock visible high up on an outside face
control tower - a tower with an elevated workspace enclosed in glass for the visual observation of aircraft around an airport
high-rise, tower block - tower consisting of a multistoried building of offices or apartments; "`tower block' is the British term for `high-rise'"
minaret - slender tower with balconies
mooring mast, mooring tower - a tower for mooring airships
power pylon, pylon - a large vertical steel tower supporting high-tension power lines; "power pylons are a favorite target for terrorists"
pylon - a tower for guiding pilots or marking the turning point in a race
shot tower - tower of a kind once used to make shot; molten lead was poured through a sieve and dropped into water
silo - a cylindrical tower used for storing silage
spire, steeple - a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top
structure, construction - a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts; "the structure consisted of a series of arches"; "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons"
supporting tower - a tower that serves to support something
turret - a small tower extending above a building
watchtower - an observation tower for a lookout to watch over prisoners or watch for fires or enemies
2.tower - anything that approximates the shape of a column or towertower - anything that approximates the shape of a column or tower; "the test tube held a column of white powder"; "a tower of dust rose above the horizon"; "a thin pillar of smoke betrayed their campsite"
shape, form - the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance; "geometry is the mathematical science of shape"
columella - a small column (or structure resembling a column) that is a part of a plant or animal
hoodoo - (geology) a column of weathered and unusually shaped rock; "a tall sandstone hoodoo"
3.tower - a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger shipstower - a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships
boat - a small vessel for travel on water
helm - steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
Verb1.tower - appear very large or occupy a commanding positiontower - appear very large or occupy a commanding position; "The huge sculpture predominates over the fountain"; "Large shadows loomed on the canyon wall"
rear, rise, lift - rise up; "The building rose before them"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

tower

noun
1. column, pillar, turret, belfry, steeple, obelisk an eleventh century house with 120-foot high towers
2. stronghold, castle, fort, refuge, keep, fortress, citadel, fortification troops occupied the first two floors of the tower
verb
1. (usually with over) rise, dominate, loom, top, mount, rear, soar, overlook, surpass, transcend, ascend, be head and shoulders above, overtop He stood up and towered over her.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
بُرْجيَعْلو فَوْقَ، يَرْتَفِع
torre
věžtyčit se
tårn
torni
toranj
toronymagasba emelkediktornyosul
gnæfa yfirturn
そびえ立つタワー
daugiaaukštis pastatasstūksantis
tornis
týčiť sa
stolp
torn
ตึกสูง
kule-den çok daha uzun olmak
височіти
tháp

tower

[ˈtaʊəʳ]
A. N
1. [of castle] → torre f
the Tower of Londonla Torre de Londres
a tower of strength (fig) → una gran ayuda
2. (also bell tower) → campanario m
B. VIelevarse
it towers to over 300 metresse eleva a más de 300 metros
to tower above or over sthdominar algo
to tower above or over sbdestacar or descollar sobre algn
he towers above or over his contemporaries (fig) → destaca or descuella claramente entre sus coetáneos
C. CPD tower block N (Brit) → bloque m de pisos, torre f de pisos
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tower

[ˈtaʊər]
ntour f
vi [building, mountain] → se dresser, se dresser majestueusement
to tower above sb/sth, to tower over sb/sth [building, mountain] → se dresser au-dessus de qn/qch; [person] → dominer qn/qch de toute sa hauteurtower block n (British)tour f, tour f d'habitation
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

tower

n
Turm m
(fig: = person) a tower of strengtheine Stütze, ein starker (Rück)halt
(Comput) → Tower m
viragen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

tower

[ˈtaʊəʳ]
1. n (of castle, church) → torre f
he was a tower of strength to me → mi ha dato un grande appoggio
2. vi (building, mountain) → innalzarsi
to tower above or over sb/sth → sovrastare qn/qc
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

tower

(ˈtauə) noun
a tall, narrow (part of a) building, especially (of) a castle. the Tower of London; a church-tower.
verb
to rise high. She is so small that he towers above her.
ˈtowering adjective
1. very high. towering cliffs.
2. (of rage, fury etc) very violent or angry. He was in a towering rage.
ˈtower-block noun
a very high block of flats, offices etc. They live in a tower-block.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

tower

بُرْج věž tårn Turm πύργος torre torni tour toranj torre toren tårn wieża torre башня torn ตึกสูง kule tháp
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
For the spectator who arrived, panting, upon that pinnacle, it was first a dazzling confusing view of roofs, chimneys, streets, bridges, places, spires, bell towers. Everything struck your eye at once: the carved gable, the pointed roof, the turrets suspended at the angles of the walls; the stone pyramids of the eleventh century, the slate obelisks of the fifteenth; the round, bare tower of the donjon keep; the square and fretted tower of the church; the great and the little, the massive and the aerial.
Keeping the craft low, for the buoyancy tanks were still intact, the girl skimmed the ground until the gently-moving wind had carried her to the side of the last hill that intervened between her and the structure she had thought a man-built tower. Here she brought the flier to the ground among some stunted trees, and dragging it beneath one where it might be somewhat hidden from craft passing above, she made it fast and set forth to reconnoiter.
There was only one other solution--since I left the tower, our course had been altered some eight points.
So blend the turrets and shadows there That all seem pendulous in air, While from a proud tower in the town Death looks gigantically down.
In the valley beneath lay the city they had just left, its more prominent buildings showing as in an isometric drawing--among them the broad cathedral tower, with its Norman windows and immense length of aisle and nave, the spires of St Thomas's, the pinnacled tower of the College, and, more to the right, the tower and gables of the ancient hospice, where to this day the pilgrim may receive his dole of bread and ale.
It was not specially high, but it was too high for its breadth to be called anything but a tower. Yet it appeared to be built entirely of wood, and that in a most unequal and eccentric way.
Directly opposite me a massive tower rose to a height of three hundred feet.
On one side of it were the last houses of the straggling village, and on the other nothing but a waste moorland stretching away toward the sea, the line of which was broken by no landmark except a solitary tower of the prehistoric pattern still found in Ireland, standing up as slender as a column, but pointed like a pyramid.
It is a single round tower, the wall curving in slightly, and then turning outward again in the form of a dice-box, so that the defenders on the top might the better protect the base.
Then I gave public notice by herald and trumpet that I should be busy with affairs of state for a fortnight, but about the end of that time I would take a moment's leisure and blow up Merlin's stone tower by fires from heaven; in the meantime, whoso listened to evil re- ports about me, let him beware.
In the city of Ch`ang-an, with its triple rows of glittering walls with their tall towers uprising at intervals, its seven royal palaces all girdled with gardens, its wonderful Yen tower nine stories high, encased in marble, the drum towers and bell towers, the canals and lakes with their floating theatres, dwelt Ming Huang and T`ai Chen.
When she was twelve years old, the enchantress shut her into a tower, which lay in a forest, and had neither stairs nor door, but quite at the top was a little window.