tower
tower — noun
1. A structure with a height much greater than its width, rising from the ground as
A structure with a height much greater than its width, rising from the ground as its own building or as a section of a larger construction such as a castle, church, or fortress.
Hao climbed the narrow stairs of the old tower to see the city below.
The church tower has stood in the same spot for more than four hundred years.
noun + tower: church tower, castle tower
A new glass tower opened last year in the business district downtown.
The castle tower was once used to watch for enemies approaching from the sea.
- spire
specifically a tapering cone or pyramid on top of a tower, often on a church
- skyscraper
a very tall modern building in a city; much larger than a typical tower
- minaret
a tall slender tower on a mosque with a balcony for the call to prayer
文法句型
a/an + tower
the + tower
tower + of + noun
2. A tall metal structure built to send out television, radio, or mobile phone sign
A tall metal structure built to send out television, radio, or mobile phone signals over a large area.
Ziad works for the company that maintains the radio tower on the hill.
collocation: radio tower
The television tower collapsed during the storm and cut off the signal.
A new mobile-phone tower was built near the highway to improve coverage.
Noa could see the blinking red light on the transmission tower from her bedroom window.
文法句型
a/an + tower
3. The tall upright metal or plastic box that holds the main parts of a desktop com
The tall upright metal or plastic box that holds the main parts of a desktop computer, such as the processor, hard drive, and power supply.
Wren bought a new tower with a faster processor and more memory.
collocation: computer tower (desktop case)
Faisal keeps his computer tower under the desk to free up space on top.
The fan inside my tower started making a rattling noise this morning.
This tower has room for two extra hard drives if you need more storage.
- desktop computer
the whole computer system, not just the case
- CPU case
more technical; refers to the enclosure containing the central processing unit
文法句型
a/an + tower
the + tower
用法筆記
In everyday speech, the whole desktop computer is often called 'the tower' to distinguish it from the monitor, keyboard, and other peripherals.
常見錯誤
4. A person who gives you strength, comfort, and protection when you are facing a d
A person who gives you strength, comfort, and protection when you are facing a difficult situation — almost always used in the fixed phrase 'a tower of strength'.
During her long illness, Élise was a tower of strength for her children.
fixed phrase: a tower of strength
Andrei called his grandfather a tower of support after the family lost their home.
When everything went wrong, Sirin proved to be a tower of strength for the team.
Joaquín was a tower of strength for his mother after his father's death.
- pillar
similar metaphor; 'a pillar of the community' emphasises reliability within a group rather than personal support in crisis
- rock
similar metaphor in 'you are my rock'; slightly more informal and emotionally intimate
- support
less poetic but more flexible; 'she was a great support to me' works in any register
- burden
someone who makes a difficult situation harder rather than easier
文法句型
a tower of + noun
用法筆記
This is a figurative/idiomatic use with a very restricted grammatical pattern. It almost always appears in the phrase 'a tower of strength' (or occasionally 'a tower of support'). It cannot be used literally to describe a person who is physically tall, and it is not used flexibly (e.g. ✗ 'She is my tower.' without the 'of strength' complement is unnatural).
常見錯誤
tower — verb
1. To stand or rise much higher than the people or things surrounding you, creating
To stand or rise much higher than the people or things surrounding you, creating a clear and often impressive difference in height.
The new skyscraper towers over every other building in the port.
pattern: tower over + noun phrase (physical height)
At almost two metres tall, Christopher towered above his classmates in the team photo.
pattern: tower above + noun phrase (person height comparison)
Tall pine trees tower above the small wooden cabins in the mountain valley.
Amelia felt small as the ancient redwood trees towered over the hiking trail.
The factory chimney towered over the houses in the nearby neighbourhood.
- loom
implies something large and threatening coming into view, rather than simply being tall
- rise above
a phrasal verb with a similar meaning but a less dramatic tone
- dominate
emphasises visual control of the landscape more than height difference
文法句型
tower over + noun phrase
tower above + noun phrase
用法筆記
This verb is almost always used with the prepositions 'over' or 'above' to specify what is being compared. 'Tower above' can also carry a metaphorical meaning of being clearly superior in ability or quality (e.g. 'She towers above the other candidates'). The verb is never used transitively (✗ 'He towers me' is incorrect).