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Hoist vs Tow - What's the difference?

hoist | tow |

In lang=en terms the difference between hoist and tow

is that hoist is to be lifted up while tow is to pull something behind one using a line or chain; to haul.

As verbs the difference between hoist and tow

is that hoist is to raise; to lift; to elevate; especially, to raise or lift to a desired elevation, by means of tackle or pulley, as a sail, a flag, a heavy package or weight while tow is to pull something behind one using a line or chain; to haul.

As nouns the difference between hoist and tow

is that hoist is a hoisting device, such as pulley or crane while tow is the act of towing and the condition of being towed or tow can be an untwisted bundle of fibers such as , flax, hemp or jute.

hoist

English

Verb

  • To raise; to lift; to elevate; especially, to raise or lift to a desired elevation, by means of tackle or pulley, as a sail, a flag, a heavy package or weight.
  • * Alexander Pope
  • They land my goods, and hoist my flying sails.
  • * South
  • hoisting him into his father's throne
  • * 1719:
  • ...but this last was so heavy, I could not hoist it up to get it over the ship's side.
  • * 1883 , (Robert Louis Stevenson), (Treasure Island)
  • Between us, with much trouble, we managed to hoist him upstairs, and laid him on his bed, where his head fell back on the pillow, as if he were almost fainting.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=October 23 , author=Tom Fordyce , title=2011 Rugby World Cup final: New Zealand 8-7 France , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=And when skipper Richie McCaw hoisted the Webb Ellis Trophy high into the night, a quarter of a century of hurt was blown away in an explosion of fireworks and cheering.}}
  • (historical) To lift someone up to be flogged.
  • To be lifted up.
  • (comptheory) To extract (code) from a loop construct as part of optimization.
  • Usage notes

    * "Hoisted" is about fifteen times more common than "hoist" in US usage as past and past participle. The "hoist" form is also uncommon in the UK except in the expression "hoist by one's own petard".

    Quotations

    * They land my goods, and hoist my flying sails . — * Hoisting him into his father’s throne . —

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A hoisting device, such as pulley or crane.
  • The act of hoisting; a lift.
  • Give me a hoist over that wall.
  • The perpendicular height of a flag, as opposed to the fly, or horizontal length, when flying from a staff.
  • The vertical edge of a flag which is next to the staff.
  • The height of a fore-and-aft sail, next the mast or stay.
  • tow

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To pull something behind one using a line or chain; to haul.
  • Noun

    (wikipedia tow) (en noun)
  • The act of towing and the condition of being towed.
  • It isn't the car's battery, I think I need a tow .
  • Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.
  • Something, such as a barge, that is towed.
  • A rope or cable used in towing.
  • Derived terms
    * in tow / on tow * tow rope * tow truck * towy * under tow * undertow

    Etymology 2

    Origin uncertain; compare (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An untwisted bundle of fibers such as , flax, hemp or jute.
  • Derived terms
    * tow haired * towhead

    References

    Anagrams

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