The act of towing and the condition of being towed.
"The soldier fired a TOW missile at the enemy tank from behind cover."
An untwisted bundle of fibers such as cellulose acetate, flax, hemp or jute.
Initialism of tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided: a kind of antitank missile.
In plain English: A tow is an object that has been pulled out of water by another boat after it ran out of power.
"The broken car was hooked up by a heavy tow behind a truck."
Usage: As a noun referring specifically to untwisted fiber bundles like flax or cotton, "tow" is distinct from its more common verb meaning related to pulling vehicles with a rope. Use this term primarily in industrial contexts describing raw materials rather than everyday situations involving towing cars.
To pull something behind one using a line or chain; to haul.
"The truck used its winch to tow the broken-down car up the steep hill."
In plain English: To tow means to pull something behind you, usually with a vehicle using a rope or chain.
"The truck had to tow the broken car off the highway."
A surname.
"The Tow family has lived in that village for three generations."
The word "tow" comes from the Old English togian and originally meant to pull or drag something along with a rope. It traveled into modern usage through Middle English while retaining its core meaning of pulling under tension.