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Bow vs. Tow — What's the Difference?

Bow vs. Tow — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Bow and Tow

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Bow

A knot tied with two loops and two loose ends, used especially for tying shoelaces and decorative ribbons
A girl with long hair tied back in a bow

Tow

To draw or pull behind by a chain or line
A tugboat towing a barge.

Bow

A weapon for shooting arrows, typically made of a curved piece of wood joined at both ends by a taut string.

Tow

The act or an instance of towing
Can you give my car a tow?.

Bow

A long, partially curved rod with horsehair stretched along its length, used for playing the violin and other stringed instruments.
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Tow

Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.

Bow

A curved stroke forming part of a letter (e.g. b, p).

Tow

Something, such as a barge or car, that is towed.

Bow

A metal ring forming the handle of a key or pair of scissors.

Tow

A rope or cable used in towing.

Bow

An act of bending the head or upper body as a sign of respect or greeting
The man gave a little bow

Tow

Coarse broken flax or hemp fiber.

Bow

The front end of a ship
Water sprayed high over her bows

Tow

A continuous untwisted bundle of manufactured fibers.

Bow

Play (a stringed instrument or music) using a bow
The techniques by which the pieces were bowed

Tow

(transitive) To pull something behind one using a line or chain; to haul.

Bow

Bend the head or upper part of the body as a sign of respect, greeting, or shame
He turned and bowed to his father
She knelt and bowed her head
Councillors stood with heads bowed

Tow

To aid someone behind by shielding them from wind resistance.

Bow

Bend with age or under pressure
The creepers were bowed down with flowers
The roof trusses bowed as the wind fought to rip the roof free

Tow

The act of towing and the condition of being towed.
It isn't the car's battery; I think I need a tow.

Bow

(of a new film or product) be premiered or launched
The trailer bowed in theaters nationwide on December 23
The Pentium III bowed in early 1999

Tow

Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.

Bow

The front section of a ship or boat.

Tow

Something, such as a barge, that is towed.

Bow

Either of the sides of this front section
The starboard bow.

Tow

A rope or cable used in towing.

Bow

The oar or the person wielding the oar closest to the bow in a racing shell.

Tow

(motor racing) A speed increase given by driving in front of another car on a straight, which causes a slipstream for the car behind.

Bow

An inclination of the head or body, as in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.

Tow

An untwisted bundle of fibres such as cellulose acetate, flax, hemp or jute.

Bow

A bent, curved, or arched object.

Tow

(specifically) The short, coarse, less desirable fibres separated by hackling from the finer longer fibres (line).

Bow

A weapon consisting of a curved, flexible strip of material, especially wood, strung taut from end to end and used to launch arrows.

Tow

The coarse and broken part of flax or hemp, separated from the finer part by the hatchel or swingle.

Bow

An archer.

Tow

A rope by which anything is towed; a towline, or towrope.

Bow

Archers considered as a group.

Tow

The act of towing, or the state of being towed; - chiefly used in the phrase, to take in tow, that is to tow.

Bow

(Music) A rod having horsehair drawn tightly between its two raised ends, used in playing instruments of the violin and viol families.

Tow

That which is towed, or drawn by a towline, as a barge, raft, collection of boats, ect.

Bow

A stroke made by this rod.

Tow

To draw or pull through the water, as a vessel of any kind, by means of a rope.

Bow

A knot usually having two loops and two ends; a bowknot.

Tow

The act of hauling something (as a vehicle) by means of a hitch or rope;
The truck gave him a tow to the garage

Bow

A frame for the lenses of a pair of eyeglasses.

Tow

Drag behind;
Horses used to tow barges along the canal

Bow

The part of such a frame passing over the ear.

Bow

A rainbow.

Bow

An oxbow.

Bow

To bend or curve downward; stoop.

Bow

To incline the body or head or bend the knee in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.

Bow

To yield in defeat or out of courtesy; submit.

Bow

To bend (the head, knee, or body) to express greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.

Bow

To convey (greeting, for example) by bending the body.

Bow

To escort deferentially
Bowed us into the restaurant.

Bow

To cause to acquiesce; submit.

Bow

To overburden
Grief bowed them down.

Bow

To bend (something) into the shape of a bow.

Bow

(Music) To play (a stringed instrument) with a bow.

Bow

To bend into a curve or bow.

Bow

(Music) To play a stringed instrument with a bow.

Bow

A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows.

Bow

A curved bend in a rod or planar surface, or in a linear formation such as a river (see oxbow).

Bow

A rod with horsehair (or an artificial substitute) stretched between the ends, used for playing various stringed musical instruments.

Bow

A stringed instrument (chordophone), consisting of a stick with a single taut cord stretched between the ends, most often played by plucking.

Bow

A type of knot with two loops, used to tie together two cords such as shoelaces or apron strings, and frequently used as decoration, such as in gift-wrapping.

Bow

Anything bent or curved, such as a rainbow.

Bow

The U-shaped piece which goes around the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke.

Bow

Either of the arms of a pair of spectacles, running from the side of the lens to behind the wearer's ear.

Bow

Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging hair, fur, etc., used by hatters.

Bow

(nautical) A crude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea.

Bow

(saddlery) Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree.

Bow

The part of a key that is not inserted into the lock and that is used to turn the key.

Bow

A gesture, usually showing respect, made by inclining the head or bending forward at the waist; a reverence
He made a polite bow as he entered the room.

Bow

(nautical) The front of a boat or ship.

Bow

(rowing) The rower that sits in the seat closest to the bow of the boat.

Bow

Obsolete spelling of bough

Bow

C|en|Foods}} {{alternative form of bao; any of several Chinese buns and breads

Bow

To play music on (a stringed) instrument using a bow.
The musician bowed his violin expertly.

Bow

(intransitive) To become bent or curved.
The shelf bowed under the weight of the books.

Bow

(transitive) To make something bend or curve.

Bow

To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline.

Bow

(intransitive) To bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference.
That singer always bows towards her audience for some reason.

Bow

To debut.

Bow

(intransitive) To defer (to something).
I bow to your better judgement in the matter.

Bow

(transitive) To give a direction, indication, or command to by bowing.

Bow

To cause to deviate from straightness; to bend; to inflect; to make crooked or curved.
We bow things the contrary way, to make them come to their natural straightness.
The whole nation bowed their necks to the worst kind of tyranny.

Bow

To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline.
Adversities do more bow men's minds to religion.
Not to bow and bias their opinions.

Bow

To bend or incline, as the head or body, in token of respect, gratitude, assent, homage, or condescension.
They came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

Bow

To cause to bend down; to prostrate; to depress,; to crush; to subdue.
Whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave.

Bow

To express by bowing; as, to bow one's thanks.

Bow

To bend; to curve.

Bow

To stop.
They stoop, they bow down together.

Bow

To bend the head, knee, or body, in token of reverence or submission; - often with down.
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

Bow

To incline the head in token of salutation, civility, or assent; to make bow.
Admired, adored by all circling crowd,For wheresoe'er she turned her face, they bowed.

Bow

To play (music) with a bow.

Bow

An inclination of the head, or a bending of the body, in token of reverence, respect, civility, or submission; an obeisance; as, a bow of deep humility.

Bow

Anything bent, or in the form of a curve, as the rainbow.
I do set my bow in the cloud.

Bow

A weapon made of a strip of wood, or other elastic material, with a cord connecting the two ends, by means of which an arrow is propelled.

Bow

An ornamental knot, with projecting loops, formed by doubling a ribbon or string.

Bow

The U-shaped piece which embraces the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke.

Bow

An appliance consisting of an elastic rod, with a number of horse hairs stretched from end to end of it, used in playing on a stringed instrument.

Bow

An arcograph.

Bow

Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging the hair, fur, etc., used by hatters.

Bow

A rude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea.

Bow

Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree.

Bow

The bending or rounded part of a ship forward; the stream or prow.

Bow

One who rows in the forward part of a boat; the bow oar.

Bow

A knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces

Bow

A slightly curved piece of resilient wood with taut horsehair strands, used in playing certain stringed instrument

Bow

Front part of a vessel or aircraft;
He pointed the bow of the boat toward the finish line

Bow

Curved piece of resilient wood with taut cord to propel arrows

Bow

Something curved in shape

Bow

Bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame

Bow

An appearance by actors or performers at the end of the concert or play in order to acknowledge the applause of the audience

Bow

A decorative interlacing of ribbons

Bow

A stroke with a curved piece of wood with taut horsehair strands that is used in playing stringed instruments

Bow

Bend one's knee or body, or lower one's head;
He bowed before the King
She bowed her head in shame

Bow

Submit or yield to another's wish or opinion;
The government bowed to the military pressure

Bow

Bend the head or the upper part of the body in a gesture of respect or greeting;
He bowed before the King

Bow

Bend one's back forward from the waist on down;
He crouched down
She bowed before the Queen
The young man stooped to pick up the girl's purse

Bow

Play on a string instrument

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