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Glite Dictionary
towing rope

towing rope

2.8
A strong rope that people use to pull a car or boat
  • noun
  • /ˈtoʊɪŋ roʊp/
translation icon : cuerda de remolque
  • The sailor secured the towing rope to the boat before starting the engine.

Examples

  • During the yacht race, the crew prepared the towing rope for any emergencies.

  • They used a thick towing rope to pull the stranded car out of the ditch.

  • I got it, I got it right now Brandon is taking that big tow rope that I gave him, weaving it in the shopping cart.

Synonyms

rope
vstowing rope
614 1.0

A thick strong cord made by twisting fibers used for tying or pulling

is the specific strong cord used mainly for pulling vessels or vehicles
painter
vstowing rope
3 9.1

A rope attached to the front of a boat used to tie it up or tow it

is a broader, stronger cord used for pulling many vessels or vehicles
towline
vstowing rope
1 5.1

A rope used to pull a vehicle or boat

is a stronger cord mainly used for pulling vessels at sea
hawser
vstowing rope
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A thick strong rope used to tie or pull a ship

is a general strong cord used for pulling vessels and vehicles
towrope
vstowing rope
4.5

A strong rope that you use to pull a car or boat

is stronger and mainly used for pulling vessels in nautical contexts
towing line
vstowing rope
2.8

A strong rope or cable used to pull something, often a boat

is the more specific strong cord used for nautical pulling

How Strong

hawser
  • Specialized
1 9.9
cable
  • Specialized
282 2.4
towing rope
2.8
rope
614 1.0
line
∞ 1.1
cord
176 1.0

Surface Forms

towing rope singular
towing ropes plural

Morphology

tow + rope

The noun is directly compositional: 'tow' (to pull/haul) + 'rope' (a cord) yields a rope used for towing, so the functional meaning is immediately derivable from the parts. This is a common, cross-linguistic compounding/compostional pattern (verb + noun) and any B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning despite its occasional nautical specialization.

Etymology

Towing rope is a strong rope used for towing, when one vehicle or boat attaches it to another to 'pull' it. So, the phrase simply means the rope used to move a broken or heavy vehicle or boat.