What does "tower" mean?
A very tall iron-framed structure, usually painted red and white, on which microwave, radio, satellite, or other communication antennas are installed; mast.
Tower
/ˈtaʊ.ə(ɹ)/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A very tall iron-framed structure, usually painted red and white, on which microwave, radio, satellite, or other communication antennas are installed; mast.
- Grammar: tower is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: acropolis, aerial, antenna, antenna tower.
- Useful contrasts: diminish, equalize, laptop.
- Usage evidence: Do you know how high the television tower is?
How to use "tower"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tower" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tower" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tower" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tower" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tower" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acropolis" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tower", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A very tall iron-framed structure, usually painted red and white, on which microwave, radio, satellite, or other communication antennas are installed; mast.
- 2 One who tows.
"But as the tower and towee reached the cross-roads again, another car, negligently driven, came round the corner, hit the Morris, and severed the tow rope, sending the unfortunate car back again into the shop window[…]"
- 3 Denoting the system of weights used by the Saxon and Norman English kings in their minting of coins. attributive
- 4 a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building wordnet
- 5 A similarly framed structure with a platform or enclosed area on top, used as a lookout for spotting fires, plane crashes, fugitives, etc.
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships wordnet
- 7 A water tower.
- 8 anything that approximates the shape of a column or tower wordnet
- 9 A control tower.
- 10 Any very tall building or structure; skyscraper.
"The Sears Tower"
- 11 An item of various kinds, such as a computer case, that is higher than it is wide. figuratively
- 12 Ellipsis of interlocking tower. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal
- 13 A strong refuge; a defence. figuratively
"Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy."
- 14 A tall fashionable headdress worn in the time of King William III and Queen Anne. historical
"Lay trains of amorous intrigues / In towers, and curls, and periwigs."
- 15 High flight; elevation. obsolete
"Nigh in her sight The Bird of Jove, stoopt from his aerie tour, Two Birds of gayest plume before him drove."
- 16 The sixteenth trump or Major Arcana card in many Tarot decks, usually deemed an ill omen.
- 17 The nineteenth Lenormand card, representing structure, bureaucracy, stability and loneliness.
- 18 A group of giraffes. collective
"A group of giraffes is called a tower."
- 19 Each of a set of information technology concerns within a business, which are treated separately so that they can be handled by different providers.
"Suppliers compete separately for the towers and service integrator and management contract, which assists the government in the integration and operation of its services."
- 20 A metal stand used as a pivot to support a punty at a furnace.
Verb
- 1 To be very tall. intransitive
"The office block towered into the sky."
- 2 appear very large or occupy a commanding position wordnet
- 3 To be high or lofty; to soar. intransitive
"My lord protector's hawks do tower so well."
- 4 To soar into. obsolete, transitive
"Her state with oary feet; yet oft they quit The dank, and, rising on stiff pennons, tower The mid aerial sky"
Proper Noun
- 1 The Tower of London, especially seen as a place of imprisonment or punishment. UK, countable, uncountable
"Traitors should be sent to the Tower!"
- 2 A habitational surname.; Alternative form of Towers. countable
- 3 A city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Do you know how high the television tower is?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tower"?
Common synonyms include: acropolis, aerial, antenna, antenna tower, architecture, arise.
How do you use "tower" in a sentence?
Do you know how high the television tower is?
How do you pronounce "tower"?
Pronounced /ˈtaʊ.ə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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). 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.
Etymology 2
From Middle English touren, torren, torrien, from Old English *torrian, from the noun (see above).
Etymology 3
From tow + -er.