tow
/təʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /təʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtō/ (ame, mw) · /toʊ/ (ame, ipa)
tow — 動詞
- 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
拖曳；拖行
用繩索或鏈條牽引車輛、船隻
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.
一輛拖吊車抵達，把Diego的車拖到最近的修車廠。
tow + destination prepositional phrase
After the small dinghy's engine failed, the fishing boat towed it back to the harbour.
小艇的引擎故障後，漁船把它拖回港邊。
tow + boat + direction
The family towed their camper van behind the SUV for almost two hundred kilometres.
那家人把露營車掛在休旅車後面，拖行了將近兩百公里。
The tractor towed a heavy trailer full of hay bales across the muddy field.
拖拉機拖著一輛載滿乾草捆的重型拖車，駛過泥濘的田地。
Noam towed his younger brother on a sled behind his bicycle across the frozen lake.
Noam騎著腳踏車，用繩索拖著坐在雪橇上的弟弟滑過結冰的湖面。
- 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
拖吊；吊走
違規停車遭官方強制拖走
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.
Omar把廂型車停在消防栓前面，結果被市府拖吊走了。
reason for towing: parking violation
Elena's car was towed from the street because she had not paid the parking meter.
Elena的車因為沒付停車費，被人從街上拖走了。
passive: be + towed + reason
The police threatened to tow any vehicle left in the bus lane during rush hour.
警方警告說，尖峰時段停在公車專用道上的任何車輛都會被拖吊。
Jack came back from the interview to find that his motorbike had been towed away.
Jack面試回來，發現他的摩托車已經被拖走了。
Amara paid a fine to get her truck back from the impound lot after it was towed.
Amara付了罰款，才從保管場領回被拖走的卡車。
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 — 名詞
1. an occasion when a broken or stuck vehicle or boat is pulled behind another vehi
拖車；拖曳
將故障車輛或船拖至他處的過程
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.
因為山路又窄又結冰，這次拖車花了將近兩小時。
Nadia called a friend to arrange a tow after her lorry broke down on the highway.
Nadia的卡車在高速公路上拋錨後，她打電話找朋友來拖車。
arrange a tow
The garage charged Wei a hundred dollars for the tow from the city centre.
修車廠跟Wei收了100美元，把他從市中心拖到修理廠。
The yacht club offers a free tow to any member whose boat has engine trouble.
遊艇俱樂部提供會員免費拖船服務，只要會員的船引擎出問題。
Theo called for a tow after his van broke down on a road with no phone signal.
Theo的廂型車在一條收不到訊號的路上拋錨，他打電話叫人來拖車。
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
被拖行；拖行中
被繩索牽引在後方的狀態
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.
那位獨木舟客到了夜裡才發現他的kayak已經從拖繩上脫落了。
come loose from the tow
With the trailer safely in tow, the family set off for the long weekend camping trip.
拖車安全地掛在車子後方，全家人便出發去度長週末的露營假期。
in tow — prepositional phrase
The broken-down lorry was taken in tow by a heavy recovery vehicle on the motorway.
那輛故障的大卡車在高速公路上被一輛大型救援車拖著走。
Deepa enjoyed the feeling of being in tow behind her father's bicycle to school.
Deepa很喜歡坐在爸爸腳踏車後方被拖著走的感覺，那是去學校的路上。
The sailing boat had a small rubber dinghy in tow as it crossed the channel.
那艘帆船後面拖著一艘小橡皮艇橫越海峽。
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).