tow

verb

/təʊ/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they tow	/təʊ/ /təʊ/
he / she / it tows	/təʊz/ /təʊz/
past simple towed	/təʊd/ /təʊd/
past participle towed	/təʊd/ /təʊd/
-ing form towing	/ˈtəʊɪŋ/ /ˈtəʊɪŋ/

tow something (+ adv./prep.) to pull a car, boat, etc. behind another vehicle, using a rope or chain（用绳索或链条）拖，拉，牵引，拽
- Our car was towed away by the police.我们的汽车被警察拖走了。
- A glider was being towed into the air.一架滑翔机被拖到空中。
Synonyms pull
pulldrag ▪ draw ▪ haul ▪ tow ▪ tugThese words all mean to move something in a particular direction, especially towards or behind you.
pull to hold something and move it in a particular direction; to hold or be attached to a vehicle and move it along behind you:
Pull the chair nearer the table.把椅子再往桌子这边拉近些。
They use oxen to pull their carts.他们用牛拉车。
drag to pull somebody/something in a particular direction or behind you, usually along the ground, and especially with effort:
The sack is too heavy to lift—you’ll have to drag it.这袋子太重，提不起来，你得拖着走。
draw (formal) to move somebody/something by pulling them/it gently; to pull a vehicle such as a carriage:
I drew my chair closer to the fire.我把椅子向火旁拉近了点。
a horse-drawn carriage马车
haul to pull somebody/something to a particular place with a lot of effort:
Fishermen were hauling in their nets.渔民在拉网。
drag or haul?You usually drag something behind you along the ground; you usually haul something towards you, often upwards towards you. Dragging something often needs effort, but hauling something always does.
tow to pull a car, boat or light plane behind another vehicle, using a rope or chain:
Our car was towed away by the police.我们的汽车被警察拖走了。
tug to pull somebody/something hard in a particular direction:
She tried to escape but he tugged her back.她试图逃跑，但他把她拽了回来。
Patterns
- to pull/drag/draw/haul/tow/tug somebody/something along/down/towards something
- to pull/drag/draw/haul/tow somebody/something behind you
- to pull/drag/draw/haul a cart/sledge
- to pull/draw a coach/carriage
- to pull/haul/tow a truck
- horses pull/draw/haul something
- dogs pull/drag/haul something
Topics Transport by waterc2
tow somebody (+ adv./prep.) (of a person) to pull somebody along behind you拉着，拽着（某人）
- Vicky was towing Rosa along by the hand.维姬拽着罗莎的手往前走。

Word OriginOld English togian ‘draw, drag’, of Germanic origin; related to tug. The noun dates from the early 17th cent.

Homophones toe | towtoe tow

/təʊ/

toe noun
- He stepped on my toe while we were dancing!我们跳舞的时候他踩到了我的脚趾！
tow verb
- Luckily, a truck came to tow our car to safety.幸运的是，一辆卡车来把我们的车拖到安全的地方。

tow

noun

/təʊ/

[singular]Idioms

an act of one vehicle pulling another vehicle using a rope or chain（车、船等的）牵引，拽引
- The car broke down and we had to get somebody to give us a tow.汽车抛锚了，我们只得让人拖走。
- a tow truck牵引车
- under tow The ship, whose engine had failed, is now safely under tow.引擎失灵的船正被安全地拖着走。
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verb + tow
- give somebody
tow + noun
- bar
- line
- rope
- …
preposition
- in tow
- under tow
Word OriginOld English togian ‘draw, drag’, of Germanic origin; related to tug. The noun dates from the early 17th cent.

Idioms

in tow

(informal) if you have somebody in tow, they are with you and following closely behind紧随着；陪伴着
- She turned up with her mother in tow.她露面了，后面紧跟着她的母亲。
- a harassed mother with three small children in tow拖带着 3 个小孩的疲惫不堪的母亲
if a ship is taken in tow, it is pulled by another ship（船）被拖着走