tow

/toʊ/

/təʊ/

Other forms: towed; towing; tows

To tow something is to drag or pull it, the way a truck will tow your car away if you park it illegally.

A boat can tow a smaller boat behind it, and a person can even tow another person: "I had to tow my little brother down the hall by his arm to get him to leave the party." You can use tow as a noun as well: "My car won't start. Can I get a tow to the gas station?" Sometimes the chain or rope that's used to tow something is also called a tow.

Definitions of tow

1. verb

   drag behind
   “Horses used to tow barges along the canal”

   types:

   tug

   tow (a vessel) with a tug

   type of:

   pull along, schlep, shlep

   pull along heavily, like a heavy load against a resistance
2. noun

   the act of hauling something (as a vehicle) by means of a hitch or rope
   “the truck gave him a tow to the garage”

   synonyms: towage

   type of:

   draw, haul, haulage

   the act of drawing or hauling something