tow
/təʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /təʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtō/ (ame, mw) · /toʊ/ (ame, ipa)
tow — verb
- towpresent simple I / you / we / they
- towshe / she / it
- towedpast simple
- towing-ing form
1. to pull a vehicle, boat, or other object behind your own vehicle or boat using a
to pull a vehicle, boat, or other object behind your own vehicle or boat using a rope, chain, or bar, especially when the other vehicle or boat cannot move on its own.
A tow truck arrived and towed Diego's car to the nearest garage.
tow + destination prepositional phrase
After the small dinghy's engine failed, the fishing boat towed it back to the harbour.
tow + boat + direction
The family towed their camper van behind the SUV for almost two hundred kilometres.
The tractor towed a heavy trailer full of hay bales across the muddy field.
Noam towed his younger brother on a sled behind his bicycle across the frozen lake.
- pull
more general; 'pull' can be in any direction and does not imply a connecting rope or chain.
- haul
suggests moving something heavy with effort, often over a distance; 'haul' does not require the connected-behind arrangement.
- drag
implies pulling something along the ground with resistance, often with difficulty.
- tug
a short, sharp pull, not a sustained movement like 'tow.'
- push
to move something away from you instead of pulling it behind.
文法句型
tow + noun phrase
be towed + prepositional phrase
用法筆記
The vehicle or object being towed is typically connected by a rope, chain, or tow bar. This sense often appears in the passive form: 'The car was towed to a petrol station.'
常見錯誤
2. to officially remove a vehicle from a street or parking area using a special tru
to officially remove a vehicle from a street or parking area using a special truck, usually because it is parked illegally or blocking traffic, and take it to a lot where the owner must pay to get it back.
The city towed Omar's van after he parked it in front of a fire hydrant.
reason for towing: parking violation
Elena's car was towed from the street because she had not paid the parking meter.
passive: be + towed + reason
The police threatened to tow any vehicle left in the bus lane during rush hour.
Jack came back from the interview to find that his motorbike had been towed away.
Amara paid a fine to get her truck back from the impound lot after it was towed.
文法句型
tow + noun phrase + away
get/have + noun phrase + towed
用法筆記
In this sense, 'tow' implies an official or legal action, not a favour between friends. Common in notices and parking signs: 'No parking — cars will be towed at owner's expense.' The phrasal verb 'tow away' is also common.
常見錯誤
tow — noun
1. an occasion when a broken or stuck vehicle or boat is pulled behind another vehi
an occasion when a broken or stuck vehicle or boat is pulled behind another vehicle by a rope, chain, or bar, because it cannot move under its own power.
The tow took nearly two hours because the mountain roads were narrow and icy.
Nadia called a friend to arrange a tow after her lorry broke down on the highway.
arrange a tow
The garage charged Wei a hundred dollars for the tow from the city centre.
The yacht club offers a free tow to any member whose boat has engine trouble.
Theo called for a tow after his van broke down on a road with no phone signal.
文法句型
a tow
give someone a tow
need a tow
用法筆記
Common in the patterns 'give someone a tow' (help by towing) and 'need a tow' (request help). In Taiwan, 'call for a tow' is often expressed as 'call a tow truck.'
2. the situation in which a vehicle, boat, or other object is fastened behind a mov
the situation in which a vehicle, boat, or other object is fastened behind a moving vehicle and pulled along, typically by a rope or chain.
The canoeist did not realise his kayak had come loose from the tow during the night.
come loose from the tow
With the trailer safely in tow, the family set off for the long weekend camping trip.
in tow — prepositional phrase
The broken-down lorry was taken in tow by a heavy recovery vehicle on the motorway.
Deepa enjoyed the feeling of being in tow behind her father's bicycle to school.
The sailing boat had a small rubber dinghy in tow as it crossed the channel.
文法句型
in tow
take in tow
under tow
用法筆記
This sense appears almost exclusively in the fixed phrases 'in tow' and 'take/carry something in tow.' Do not use 'tow' alone as a countable noun to mean the state; use 'a tow' only for sense 1 (the act).