tower
/ˈtaʊə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtaʊər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtau̇(-ə)r/ (ame, mw) · /taʊər/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtaʊ.ɚ/ (ame, ipa)
tower — 名詞
- towersingular
- towersplural
1. A structure with a height much greater than its width, rising from the ground as
塔樓；高塔
高而窄的獨立或附屬建築
A structure with a height much greater than its width, rising from the ground as its own building or as a section of a larger construction such as a castle, church, or fortress.
Hao climbed the narrow stairs of the old tower to see the city below.
Hao 爬上舊塔狹窄的階梯，俯瞰整座城市。
The church tower has stood in the same spot for more than four hundred years.
這座教堂塔樓在同一個地方矗立了四百多年。
noun + tower: church tower, castle tower
A new glass tower opened last year in the business district downtown.
去年市中心商業區新開了一棟玻璃高塔。
The castle tower was once used to watch for enemies approaching from the sea.
這座城堡塔樓過去用來瞭望從海上逼近的敵人。
- spire
specifically a tapering cone or pyramid on top of a tower, often on a church
- skyscraper
a very tall modern building in a city; much larger than a typical tower
- minaret
a tall slender tower on a mosque with a balcony for the call to prayer
文法句型
a/an + tower
the + tower
tower + of + noun
2. A tall metal structure built to send out television, radio, or mobile phone sign
發射塔
用於收發電信信號的高金屬結構
A tall metal structure built to send out television, radio, or mobile phone signals over a large area.
Ziad works for the company that maintains the radio tower on the hill.
Ziad 就在負責維護山頂無線電塔的那家公司工作。
collocation: radio tower
The television tower collapsed during the storm and cut off the signal.
電視發射塔在暴風雨中倒塌，導致訊號中斷。
A new mobile-phone tower was built near the highway to improve coverage.
高速公路旁新建了一座手機基地台天線塔，以改善收訊範圍。
Noa could see the blinking red light on the transmission tower from her bedroom window.
Noa 從臥室窗戶就能看見發射塔上閃爍的紅燈。
文法句型
a/an + tower
3. The tall upright metal or plastic box that holds the main parts of a desktop com
直立機殼
容納電腦主要零件的直立式外殼
The tall upright metal or plastic box that holds the main parts of a desktop computer, such as the processor, hard drive, and power supply.
Wren bought a new tower with a faster processor and more memory.
Wren 買了一台新的直立機殼，處理器更快、記憶體也更大。
collocation: computer tower (desktop case)
Faisal keeps his computer tower under the desk to free up space on top.
Faisal 把電腦主機放在書桌底下，好讓桌面空出來。
The fan inside my tower started making a rattling noise this morning.
我的主機風扇今天早上發出嘎嘎的噪音。
This tower has room for two extra hard drives if you need more storage.
這款主機殼還能再裝兩顆硬碟，儲存空間很夠用。
- desktop computer
the whole computer system, not just the case
- CPU case
more technical; refers to the enclosure containing the central processing unit
文法句型
a/an + tower
the + tower
用法筆記
In everyday speech, the whole desktop computer is often called 'the tower' to distinguish it from the monitor, keyboard, and other peripherals.
常見錯誤
4. A person who gives you strength, comfort, and protection when you are facing a d
支柱
在困境中給予力量和保護的人
A person who gives you strength, comfort, and protection when you are facing a difficult situation — almost always used in the fixed phrase 'a tower of strength'.
During her long illness, Élise was a tower of strength for her children.
Élise 長期臥病期間，一直是孩子們的精神支柱。
fixed phrase: a tower of strength
Andrei called his grandfather a tower of support after the family lost their home.
Andrei 說，在他們家失去房子之後，祖父成了他們的依靠。
When everything went wrong, Sirin proved to be a tower of strength for the team.
一切都不順利的時候，Sirin 成了團隊中最堅強的支柱。
Joaquín was a tower of strength for his mother after his father's death.
父親過世之後，Joaquín 成了母親最大的精神依靠。
- pillar
similar metaphor; 'a pillar of the community' emphasises reliability within a group rather than personal support in crisis
- rock
similar metaphor in 'you are my rock'; slightly more informal and emotionally intimate
- support
less poetic but more flexible; 'she was a great support to me' works in any register
- burden
someone who makes a difficult situation harder rather than easier
文法句型
a tower of + noun
用法筆記
This is a figurative/idiomatic use with a very restricted grammatical pattern. It almost always appears in the phrase 'a tower of strength' (or occasionally 'a tower of support'). It cannot be used literally to describe a person who is physically tall, and it is not used flexibly (e.g. ✗ 'She is my tower.' without the 'of strength' complement is unnatural).
常見錯誤
tower — 動詞
- towerpresent simple I / you / we / they
- towers3rd person singular
- towering-ing form
- toweredpast simple
1. To stand or rise much higher than the people or things surrounding you, creating
高聳；屹立
高度明顯超過周圍事物
To stand or rise much higher than the people or things surrounding you, creating a clear and often impressive difference in height.
The new skyscraper towers over every other building in the port.
那棟新摩天大樓比港口周圍所有建築都高出一大截。
pattern: tower over + noun phrase (physical height)
At almost two metres tall, Christopher towered above his classmates in the team photo.
Christopher 身高將近兩公尺，在球隊合照中比所有隊友都高。
pattern: tower above + noun phrase (person height comparison)
Tall pine trees tower above the small wooden cabins in the mountain valley.
高大的松樹聳立在山谷中的小木屋上方。
Amelia felt small as the ancient redwood trees towered over the hiking trail.
古老的紅杉高高矗立在健行步道上，Amelia 覺得自己好渺小。
The factory chimney towered over the houses in the nearby neighbourhood.
工廠煙囪比附近社區的房屋高出許多。
- loom
implies something large and threatening coming into view, rather than simply being tall
- rise above
a phrasal verb with a similar meaning but a less dramatic tone
- dominate
emphasises visual control of the landscape more than height difference
文法句型
tower over + noun phrase
tower above + noun phrase
用法筆記
This verb is almost always used with the prepositions 'over' or 'above' to specify what is being compared. 'Tower above' can also carry a metaphorical meaning of being clearly superior in ability or quality (e.g. 'She towers above the other candidates'). The verb is never used transitively (✗ 'He towers me' is incorrect).