tow
[verb]
Synonyms: drag, draw, haul, lug, pull, tug

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Related Idioms: take in tow
Related Words: propel, push

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English Thesaurus: pull, tug, drag, haul, heave, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. tow¹ /təʊ $ toʊ/ verb [transitive]
[Language: Old English; Origin: togian]
to pull a vehicle or ship along behind another vehicle, using a rope or chain:
The ship had to be towed into the harbor.
tow something away
Our car had been towed away

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. tow² noun

1. [countable] an act of pulling a vehicle behind another vehicle, using a rope or chain:
Can you give us a tow to the garage?

2. in tow informal following closely behind someone or something:
Hannah arrived with her four kids in tow.
He turned up at my office with two lawyers in tow.

3. take something in tow to connect a rope or a chain to a vehicle or ship so that it can be towed

4. under/on tow British English if a ship is under tow or a car is on tow, it is being pulled along by another vehicle

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

tow
noun
VERB + TOW give sb A truck driver gave me a tow to the nearest garage.
TOW + NOUN bar, line, rope | plane, truck, vehicle | pilot
PREP. in ~ (usually figurative) a harassed mother with three small children in tow
under ~ The ship, whose engine had failed, is now safely under tow.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pull to make something or someone move in the direction that your hands are moving:
He pulled her towards him and kissed her.
Sam was pulling on his socks.
tug to pull something suddenly with a short quick movement, often to get someone’s attention:
‘Look,’ he said, tugging at his brother’s sleeve.
I tugged at the drawer but it wouldn’t open.
drag to pull something along the ground, especially because it is heavy:
If we can’t lift the piano, we’ll have to drag it.
haul to pull something big and heavy using a lot of effort, especially upwards and using a rope:
They hauled their boats further up the beach.
fishermen hauling in their nets
heave to pull or lift something very heavy, especially with one movement:
He heaved the sack of sand onto his shoulder.
draw formal to pull something or someone gently in a particular direction:
Lisa reached for his hand but he drew it away.
tow to pull a vehicle behind – used about a vehicle, a boat, or a horse pulling something using a rope or chain:
The car in front of us was towing a caravan.
Horses were used to tow the boats along the canals.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

tow
̈ɪtəu
See: in tow

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲