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tower.

A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure.

5 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈtaʊ.ə(ɹ)/Received-Pronunciation[ˈtɑːə][ˈtɑː]/ˈtuː.ɐ/Northumbria
  1. A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure.

  2. A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure. A very tall open-framed structure on which communications devices are installed.

  3. A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure. A similarly framed structure with a platform or enclosed area on top.

  4. A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure. A control tower.

  5. A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure. A skyscraper.

    The Sears Tower
  6. An item of various kinds, such as a computer case, that is higher than it is wide.

    figuratively
  7. A strong refuge; a defence.

    figuratively
  8. Each of a set of information technology concerns within a business, which are treated separately so that they can be handled by different providers.

  9. The sixteenth named (trump or Major Arcana) card in many Tarot decks, usually deemed an ill omen.

  10. The nineteenth Lenormand card, representing structure, bureaucracy, stability and loneliness.

  11. A group of giraffes.

    collective
  12. A metal stand used as a pivot to support a punty at a furnace.

  13. A tall fashionable headdress worn in the time of King William III and Queen Anne.

    historical
  14. High flight; elevation.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

From Middle English tour, tur, tor, from Old English tūr, tor, torr ("tower; rock"; > English tor) and Old French tour, toer, tor; both from Latin turris (“a tower”), Ancient Greek τύρρις (túrrhis) (Hesychius), τύρσις (túrsis). Displaced native Middle English stepel for the general sense of "tower". Compare Scots tour, towr, towre (“tower”), West Frisian toer (“tower”), Dutch toren (“tower”), German Turm (“tower”), Danish tårn (“tower”), Swedish torn (“tower”), Icelandic turn (“tower”), Welsh tŵr. Doublet of tor, tourelle, and turret.

verb
  1. To be very tall; to reach a high height.

    intransitive
    The office block towered into the sky.
    The tree will eventually tower taller than any of the others.
  2. To be high or lofty; to soar.

    intransitive
  3. To soar into.

    obsolete · transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English touren, torren, torrien, from Old English *torrian, from the noun (see above).

noun/ˈtəʊ.ə(ɹ)/UK/ˈtoʊ.əɹ/General-American
  1. One who tows.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree English tow Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English tower From tow + -er.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.