Library / English Dictionary

TOWER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("tower" is a kind of...):

construction; structure (a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tower"):

watchtower (an observation tower for a lookout to watch over prisoners or watch for fires or enemies)

turret (a small tower extending above a building)

supporting tower (a tower that serves to support something)

spire; steeple (a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top)

silo (a cylindrical tower used for storing silage)

shot tower (tower of a kind once used to make shot; molten lead was poured through a sieve and dropped into water)

pylon (a tower for guiding pilots or marking the turning point in a race)

power pylon; pylon (a large vertical steel tower supporting high-tension power lines)

mooring mast; mooring tower (a tower for mooring airships)

minaret (slender tower with balconies)

high-rise; tower block (tower consisting of a multistoried building of offices or apartments)

control tower (a tower with an elevated workspace enclosed in glass for the visual observation of aircraft around an airport)

clock tower (a tower with a large clock visible high up on an outside face)

church tower (the tower of a church)

bell tower (a tower that supports or shelters a bell)

beacon; beacon light; lighthouse; pharos (a tower with a light that gives warning of shoals to passing ships)

barbacan; barbican (a tower that is part of a defensive structure (such as a castle))

Instance hyponyms:

Eiffel Tower (a wrought iron tower 300 meters high that was constructed in Paris in 1889; for many years it was the tallest man-made structure)

CN Tower (a tower in Toronto; 1815 feet tall for broadcasting widely)

Space Needle (a tower 605 feet tall in Seattle; a tourist attraction)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships

Synonyms:

towboat; tower; tug; tugboat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("tower" is a kind of...):

boat (a small vessel for travel on water)

Meronyms (parts of "tower"):

helm (steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered)

Derivation:

tow (drag behind)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Anything that approximates the shape of a column or tower

Example:

a thin pillar of smoke betrayed their campsite

Synonyms:

column; pillar; tower

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Hypernyms ("tower" is a kind of...):

form; shape (the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tower"):

columella (a small column (or structure resembling a column) that is a part of a plant or animal)

hoodoo ((geology) a column of weathered and unusually shaped rock)

Derivation:

tower (appear very large or occupy a commanding position)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Appear very large or occupy a commanding position

Example:

Large shadows loomed on the canyon wall

Synonyms:

hulk; loom; predominate; tower

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "tower" is one way to...):

lift; rear; rise (rise up)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

tower (anything that approximates the shape of a column or tower)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Well, there is the tower of the cathedral, and we shall soon learn all that Miss Hunter has to tell.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He towered like a Goliath above Wolf Larsen.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I have said that scattered towers marked the villages which dotted this part of Cornwall.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

New images of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft provide more clues about its mysterious bright spots, and also reveal a pyramid-shaped peak towering over a relatively flat landscape.

(Ceres Spots Continue to Mystify in Latest Dawn Images, NASA)

Merlin Burrows says it was then that the company found what it believes is remains of temples and towers.

(Researchers Claim to Have Found Mythical City of Atlantis in Spain, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

New research has discovered the tallest known tree in the Amazon, towering above the previous record holder at a height of 88.5 metres.

(Expedition finds tallest tree in the Amazon, University of Cambridge)

Cassini found that Enceladus sprays towering, geyser-like jets of water vapor and icy particles, including simple organics, from warm fractures near its south pole.

(Powering Saturn's Active Ocean Moon, NASA)

The finding is intriguing, because it suggests that the lower-altitude hexagon may influence what happens above, and that it could be a towering structure hundreds of miles in height.

(Saturn's Famous Hexagon May Tower Above the Clouds, NASA)

Slowly the twilight crept down as the sun sank behind the high towers of Holdernesse Hall.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Every detail which I had roughly noted from my watch-tower was drawn out in its relative place.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)