towline

[ toh-lahyn ]

noun

1. a line, hawser, or the like, by which anything is or may be towed.

towline

/ ˈtəʊˌlaɪn /

noun

1. another name for towrope

Word History and Origins

Origin of towline¹

1710–20; tow ¹ + line ¹; compare Old English tohlīne ( tow ³ )

Example Sentences

The load on the tug's towlines was also between two and five times more than Clydeport's recommended speed range.

From BBC

An attempt to tow the ship with tugboats into open ocean ended when a towline snapped late Monday, Port Authority chief executive Philip Holliday said.

From Seattle Times

A towline gets wrapped around one character’s leg, breaking the leg before the person is pulled into icy water and drowns.

From Washington Post

In 2016, as Indonesian authorities tried to tow in a Chinese boat operating off the Natunas, a Chinese Coast Guard ship nosed in and broke the towline, allowing the Chinese fishers to flee.

From New York Times

There was still no wind, so he handed us over to another hapless captain who took up the towline and hauled us to the dock at Barraterre, Great Exuma.

From New York Times