Meaning & use
towing
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“towing” is a form of “tow”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
noununcountable
The act of pulling a vehicle or other object behind another vehicle using a rope, chain, or similar device.
Grammar: Used as a noun, usually without 'a' or 'the' when talking about the activity in general.
Patterns
- towing of something
- towing service
- towing company
The towing of the broken-down bus took over an hour.
Heavy towing requires a special license.
The company offers towing and roadside assistance.
verbtransitive
Present participle of 'tow': pulling a vehicle or object along behind another vehicle.
Grammar: Takes an object: 'They are towing the car.'
Patterns
- towing something
- towing something behind something
The truck is towing a trailer full of hay.
She was towing her broken motorcycle to the garage.
They are towing the boat to the lake for the weekend.
Common combinations
- towing service
- We called a towing service after the accident.
- towing company
- The towing company arrived within twenty minutes.
- towing capacity
- This truck has a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds.
- towing charge
- The towing charge was higher than we expected.
- towing vehicle
- The towing vehicle must be strong enough to pull the load.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pulling
- More general; can mean pulling anything, not just vehicles, and does not imply using a rope or chain.
- hauling
- Often used for pulling heavy loads over long distances, especially in industry or transport.
- dragging
- Suggests pulling something heavy along the ground, often with difficulty; less specific to vehicles.
Word family
- tow verb
- To pull a vehicle or object behind another.
- tow truck noun
- A vehicle used for towing broken-down cars.
Commonly confused: towing or towing?
towing vs towing
Not to be confused with 'towing' meaning the act of cutting grass, which is 'mowing'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'towing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option B is correct because 'towing' as a verb takes a direct object: 'towing the car'. Option A lacks an object, option C is ungrammatical, and option D is redundant.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “towing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.