tow

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.

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.

Idiom:

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.

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[Middle English towen, from Old English togian; see deuk- in Indo-European roots.]

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tow′a·ble adj.

tow′er n.

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tow ²

 (tō)

n.

1. Coarse broken flax or hemp fiber.

2. A continuous untwisted bundle of manufactured fibers.

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[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

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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

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" towage haul, haulage, draw - the act of drawing or hauling something; "the haul up the hill went very slowly"
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

1. drag, draw, pull, trail, haul, tug, yank, hale, trawl, lug He was using the vehicle to tow his trailer.

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

verb

To exert force so as to move (something) toward the source of the force:

drag, draw, haul, pull, tug.

The 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

schleppenabschleppenbugsierenSchlepperSchlepptau

ρυμουλκώ

remolqueremolcarestoparemolcador

remorquageremorquertirertraîner

vontatás

dragatog, dráttur

rimorchiarerimorchiostoppastoppa di linotrainare

buksyrasvilkimas

buksēšanaņemt tauvāvilkšanavilkt

bukserebukseringtauetauing

rebocar

vlek

vleči

çekmeçekmek

拉拖牵引

tow

¹ [təʊ]

A. N

1. (Aut) (= act) → remolque m; (= rope) → remolque m, cable m de remolque; (= thing towed) → vehículo m remolcado
to give sb a tow → dar remolque or remolcar a algn
on tow (Brit) in tow (US) → a remolque
to have a car in tow → llevar un coche de remolque
to take in tow → dar remolque a

2. (fig) he arrived with a friend in tow → llegó acompañado de un amigo; (unwillingly) → llegó con un amigo a rastras or a remolque

B. VT

1. [+ car, caravan, boat] → remolcar; [+ barge] (on canal) → sirgar

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 away VT + ADV → remolcar, quitar remolcando
to tow a car away → llevar un coche a la comisaría

---

tow

² [təʊ] N (Textiles) → estopa f

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

tow

[ˈtəʊ]

n

to give sb a tow → remorquer qn
"on tow" (British) "in tow" (US) → "véhicule en remorque"

to have sb in tow → traîner qn dans son sillage
There she was on my doorstep with child in tow
BUT Elle était là sur le pas de ma porte, avec un enfant à ses basques.

vt → remorquer
to be towed away → être mis(e) en fourrière

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

n (Aut) → Anschleppen nt; to give somebody a tow → jdn anschleppen

tow truck

n (US) → Abschleppwagen m

---

tow

¹

n → Werg nt, → Hede f

---

tow

²

n 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

2. vt (boat, car, caravan) → rimorchiare
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. insleep يَقْطُر، يَجُر тегля rebocar vléci schleppen slæbe; trække ρυμουλκώremolcar pukseerima کشیدن؛ بکسل کردن hinata remorquer לִגרוֹר रस्सी से खींच vući, tegliti vontat menarik draga rimorchiare, trainare 綱で引く 견인하다 vilkti ņemt tauvā; vilkt menunda slepenslepe, taue, buksereholować كشول، راكښل ( په تيره بيا په اوبو كې درسۍ په واسطه rebocar a remorca буксировать vliecť, ťahať vleči z vrvjo šlepovati bogsera พ่วง çekmek 牽引，拖，拉 тягти на линві; буксирувати رسي وغيرہ سے کھينچنا kéo đi 牵引，拖，拉

noun

(an) act of towing or process of being towed. Give us a tow! insleping قَطْر، جَر теглене rebocada vlek das Schleppen træk ρυμούλκηση remolque pukseerimine یدک کشی؛ بکسل hinaus remorquageגרירה खिंचाव vuča, tegljenje vontatás tarikan tog, dráttur rimorchio 綱で引くこと 견인 vilkimas vilkšana (tauvā); buksēšana tunda het slepen slep, tauing, buksering holowanie بکسل rebocada remorcare буксировка vlek vleka šlepovanje bogsering การลาก çekme 牽引，拉 буксирування کھينچنے کا عمل sự kéo đi 牵引，拉

ˈtowline/ˈtow-rope nouns

a rope etc used in towing. sleeptou حَبْل القَطْر أو الجَر въже за буксир cabo de reboque vlečné lano das Abschleppseil slæbetov σκοινί ρυμούλκησης cabo/cable de remolque pukseerimisköis سیم بکسل hinausköysi câble de remorquage חֶבֶל גְרִירָה गून, बांध रस्‍सी vučno uže vontatókötél tali penarik dráttartaug (cavo/gomena di rimorchio) 引き綱 견인 줄 buksyras buksēšanas tauva tali tunda sleeptouwslepetau lina holownicza سیم بکسل cabo de reboque cablu de remorcă буксирный трос vlečné lano vlečna vrv uže za vuču bogserlina สายโยง çekme halatı 拖纜 буксир, буксирний трос کھينچنے کے ليے استعمال ہونے والي رسي dây kéo 拖缆

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

• Could you send a tow truck? (US)
  Can you send a breakdown van? (UK) → هَلْ يـُمْكِنُ أَنْ تُرْسِلَ لي سَيَّارَةَ إِنْقاذٍ؟ → Můžete sem vyslat pohotovostní vůz? → Kan De sende en kranvogn? → Können Sie einen Abschleppwagen schicken? → Μπορείτε να στείλετε όχημα οδικής βοήθειας; → ¿Puede enviarme un vehículo de asistencia en carretera? → Voitteko lähettää tiepalveluaton? → Vous pouvez envoyer un camion de dépannage ? → Možete li poslati vozilo za pomoć na cesti? → Può mandare un carro attrezzi? → レッカー車を手配してもらえますか？ → 레커차를 보내 주시겠어요? → Kunt u de ANWB sturen? → Kan du sende en bergingsbil? → Czy mógłby Panwysłać pogotowie techniczne? → O senhor pode enviar um veículo de resgate? → Вы можете прислать автомобиль техпомощи? → Kan ni skicka en bärgningsbil? → คุณช่วยส่งรถบริการรถเสียให้ด้วย → Tamir aracı gönderebilir misiniz? → Bạn có thể cho xe kéo đến được không? → 您能不能派一辆维修车来？
• Could you tow me to a repair shop? (US)
  Can you tow me to a garage? (UK) → هَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تَـجُرَّني إِلى وَرَشَةِ السَيَّاراتِ؟ → Můžete mě odtáhnout do autoopravny? → Kan De trække mig til værkstedet? → Können Sie mich zur Autowerkstatt abschleppen? → Μπορείτε να με τραβήξετε μέχρι το συνεργείο; → ¿Podría remolcarme hasta el taller? → Voitteko hinata auton korjaamolle? → Vous pouvez me remorquer jusqu'au garage ? → Možete li me odvući do garaže? → Mi può rimorchiare fino all'autofficina? → 自動車修理工場までけん引してもらえますか？ → 정비소까지 견인해 주시겠어요? → Kunt u me naar een garage slepen? → Kan du taue meg til et verksted? → Czy mógłby mnie Panodholować do najbliższego warsztatu? → O senhor pode me rebocar até uma oficina mecânica? → Вы не могли бы отбуксировать меня к автомастерской? → Kan ni bogsera mig till en bilverkstad? → คุณช่วยลากรถฉันไปที่อู่ได้ไหม? → Arabamı tamirciye kadar çekebilir misiniz? → Bạn có thể kéo xe giúp tôi đến chỗ sửa xe không? → 您能帮忙把我的车拖到修车行去吗？

Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009