tail

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈtāl 

often attributive

1

: the rear end or a process or prolongation of the rear end of the body of an animal

2

: something resembling an animal's tail in shape or position: such as

a

: a luminous stream of particles, gases, or ions extending from a comet especially in the antisolar direction

b

: the rear part of an airplane consisting usually of horizontal and vertical stabilizing surfaces with attached control surfaces

3

: the reverse of a coin

—usually used in plural

tails, I win

4

tails plural

a

: tailcoat

b

: full evening dress for men

5

: a location immediately or not far behind

had a posse on his tail

6

: one (such as a detective) who follows or keeps watch on someone

7

a

: buttocks, butt

b

slang, vulgar : sexual intercourse

8

: retinue

9

: the back, last, lower, or inferior part of something

10

: tailing sense 1

—usually used in plural

11

: the blank space at the bottom of a page

tailed

ˈtāld 

adjective

tailless

ˈtāl-ləs 

adjective

taillike

ˈtāl-ˌlīk 

adjective

tail

2 of 4

verb

tailed; tailing; tails

transitive verb

1

: to follow for purposes of surveillance

2

: to connect end to end

3

a

: to remove the tail of (an animal) : dock entry 3

b

: to remove the stem or bottom part of

topping and tailing gooseberries

4

a

: to make or furnish with a tail

b

: to follow or be drawn behind like a tail

intransitive verb

1

: to form or move in a straggling line

2

: to grow progressively smaller, fainter, or more scattered : abate

—usually used with off

productivity is tailing off

—Tom Nicholson

3

: to swing or lie with the stern in a named direction

—used of a ship at anchor

4

: tag entry 2

tailer noun

tail

3 of 4

noun (2)

: entail sense 1a

tail

4 of 4

adjective

: limited as to tenure : entailed

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• cortege
• cortège
• entourage
• following
• posse
• retinue
• suite
• train

Verb

• bird-dog
• chase
• course
• dog
• follow
• hound
• pursue
• run
• shadow
• tag
• trace
• track
• trail

Examples of tail in a Sentence

Verb

The police had been tailing the suspect for several miles.

She is constantly tailed by the press.

The pitch tailed away from the batter.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Having employees tail her isn’t exactly her favorite thing. —Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2023

The following day, Bryan embarked on his trip to New England, with his security guard tailing him in a separate car. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2023

Borges, facilitating the scheme, hired private investigators to tail political operatives, and offered one, Tyler Fehrman, a $15,000 payment in exchange for inside information about a political campaign to reverse the bailout. —Jake Zuckerman, cleveland, 6 Sep. 2023

Their dainty bodies aren’t much longer than a typical ruler, from bill to tail, but their wingspans are over double that, and plenty strong to propel them, in spring, from their winter homes in Southeast Asia to Alaska and Siberia. —WIRED, 26 Aug. 2023

Reports indicate the car was traveling at 121 mph in a narrow tunnel along the Seine River in an effort to escape paparazzi tailing them on motorcycles. —Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 8 Aug. 2023

Sporting the longest, densest fur among all cats, this feline wonder is decked out with fur nearly twice as long on their belly and tail than on their top and sides. —Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 7 Aug. 2023

And all of that is why Eisenstein, an outspoken Mütter advocate who opposes the new leadership, was being tailed by security. —Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 27 July 2023

But the unusual number of wounds suffered by the swordfish—more than a dozen oval holes gouged from cheek to tail on one side alone—prompted the captain to theorize that the unlucky pelagic was the victim of a pack attack. —Steven Hill, Field & Stream, 26 July 2023

Noun

The video documents alleged staffers at the facility saying that the tails of the horses are indeed docked. —Michael Lee Simpson, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2023

The face is on the tail of its fleet of airplanes, which totals more than 50 and serves nearly 30 cities globally, making Drummond’s profile instantly recognizable to many air travelers. —Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 21 Sep. 2023

Curtis is standing next to the gap, the tail of one of the twin snakes. —Hazlitt, 20 Sep. 2023

In southern China, the tail of Typhoon Haikui collided with monsoons. —Theodora Yu, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023

In June, a United Airlines flight clipped the tail of a Delta plane, the airlines said in statements reported by Boston.com. —Jeremy C. Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023

Share [Findings] The tail of an unidentified herbivorous dinosaur in Alberta was found to contain a type of histiocytic tumor that primarily affects young children. —Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 13 Sep. 2023

While diners are probably most familiar with lobster tails and claws, the other parts of the animal are also useful. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2023

Saban's Tigers did, indeed, shake their tails going forward, going on to beat Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl and claim the BCS championship. —Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 10 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English tægel; akin to Old High German zagal tail, Middle Irish dúal lock of hair

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from tailler

Adjective

Middle English taille, from Anglo-French taylé, past participle of tailler to cut, limit — more at tailor

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1523, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tail

• e-tail
• on someone's tail
• rat-tail file
• trundle-tail
• the tail wagging the dog
• put a tail on (someone)
• rooster tail
• nose to tail
• brown-tail moth
• mare's tail
• tail end
• draggle-tail
• not make head or/nor tail of
• with one's tail between one's legs
• the tail end
• tail fin
• fee tail
• tail off
• tail covert
• tail hook
• lizard's tail
• one-tail
• two-tail
• turn tail

See More

• e-tail
• on someone's tail
• rat-tail file
• trundle-tail
• the tail wagging the dog
• put a tail on (someone)
• rooster tail
• nose to tail
• brown-tail moth
• mare's tail
• tail end
• draggle-tail
• not make head or/nor tail of
• with one's tail between one's legs
• the tail end
• tail fin
• fee tail
• tail off
• tail covert
• tail hook
• lizard's tail
• one-tail
• two-tail
• turn tail

See More

Kids Definition

tail

1 of 3 noun

ˈtā(ə)l 

1

: the rear end or a lengthened growth from the rear end of the body of an animal

2

: something resembling an animal's tail

the tail of a kite

the tail of a comet

3

plural : full evening dress for men

4

: the back, last, lower, or rear part of something

the tail of an airplane

5

: the reverse of a coin

6

: one (as a detective) who follows or keeps watch on someone

7

: a location not far behind

a posse on the outlaw's tail

tailed

ˈtā(ə)ld 

adjective

tailless

ˈtā(ə)l-ləs 

adjective

taillike

-ˌlīk 

adjective

tail

2 of 3 adjective

: being at or coming from the rear

tail

3 of 3 verb

1

: to make or furnish with a tail

2

a

: to follow or be drawn behind like a tail

b

: to follow closely to observe : shadow

tailer noun

Medical Definition

tail

noun

ˈtā(ə)l 

often attributive

1

: the rear end or a process or prolongation of the rear end of the body of an animal

2

: one end of a molecule regarded as opposite to the head

especially : the end of a lipid molecule that consists of a nonpolar hydrocarbon chain and is opposite to the polar group

most surface-active agents have a long hydrophobic tail attached to a polar head

—R. E. Kirk & D. F. Othmer

3

: any of various parts of bodily structures that are terminal: as

a

: the distal tendon of a muscle

b

: the slender left end of the human pancreas

c

: the common convoluted tube that forms the lower part of the epididymis

4

: the motile part of a sperm that extends from the middle piece to the end and comprises the flagellum

5

: a thin protein tube which forms part of the coat of some bacteriophages and through which DNA is injected into a cell

tailed

ˈtā(ə)ld 

adjective

tailless

ˈtā(ə)l-les 

adjective

Legal Definition

tail

1 of 2 noun

1

: the condition of being limited or restricted by entailing

a tenant in tail

2

: entail sense 2

tail

2 of 2 adjective

: limited as to tenure see also fee tail at fee sense 1

Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French, literally, cutting, from Old French, from taillier to cut, prune