What does towering mean?
Word: Towering
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Towering means very tall and impressive; also very great or strong, as in a towering rage or a towering figure.
Synonyms: lofty, huge, imposing
Antonyms: tiny, low
Word origin: Comes from the noun for a tall building, which goes back through Old English and Old French to Latin turris.
How do you spell towering?
Syllables: tow - er - ing
Tricky part: The r is not doubled before -ing, because the stress falls on the first beat: towerring is the classic slip.
Watch out for: towerring, towerreng
Memory tip: Only a stressed ending doubles its last letter before -ing, as in beginning; this word's ending is unstressed, so one r is enough.
Towering in a sentence
Example 1: Towering pine trees lined the mountain road.
Example 2: The coach was in a towering rage after the team missed the bus.
Example 3: Nelson Mandela was a towering figure in South Africa's struggle for freedom.
Fun Fact
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai towers about 828 metres over the city, and it has been the world's tallest building since it opened in 2010.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with towering?
a) powering
b) showering
c) covering
d) flowering
Show answer
c) covering. Covering is said with the u sound of cup; powering, showering and flowering share the ow of towering.
Spell Probe
One word in the sentence is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word:
The climbers stared up at the towring cliffs and decided to camp at the foot of the glacier until the snow stopped.
a) rising high above everything around
b) a high, steep face of rock
c) to stay for a time in tents
d) a large mass of ice that moves slowly
Show answer
a) rising high above everything around. Towring has lost the e of tower.
Word Tally
Give 2 marks for each misspelt word. How many marks does this list earn? towering, lofty, giggantic, enormous, collosal
a) 2
b) 4
c) 8
d) 6
Show answer
b) 4. Gigantic and colossal are misspelt (2 x 2 = 4); towering, lofty and enormous are correct.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. towering 2. murky 3. brisk a. soaring b. quick c. gloomy
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
Show answer
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Towering peaks are soaring, murky water is gloomy, and a brisk walk is quick.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In 'She was a towering figure in jazz', towering means ___.
a) very old-fashioned
b) very tall in height
c) very quiet and shy
d) very important and admired
Show answer
d) very important and admired
2. What is most likely to be described as towering?
a) a park bench
b) a village well
c) a mountain peak
d) a garden wall
Show answer
c) a mountain peak
