as in snails
someone who moves slowly or more slowly than others
by three o'clock, only a few stragglers were still making their painful way to the marathon's finish
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Recent Examples of stragglers
Yet a few stragglers, drinks in hand, watched the horizon, waiting for ignition.
—
Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
The problem is that someone will be third and fourth and fifth, and those stragglers have raised huge amounts of equity and debt that is now oozing through the financial system.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Then came five Democratic stragglers.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Jeremy told a few stragglers to catch up.
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Getting rid of the Super Bowl stragglers is awkward.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
Get those ballots filled out, stragglers.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2026
The last few stragglers are set to report quarterly results this week.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 7 Dec. 2025
Its companions are four Russian mobsters — stragglers from the previous season — laying on their stomachs with their necks outstretched over the rail.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
The problem is that someone will be third and fourth and fifth, and those stragglers have raised huge amounts of equity and debt that is now oozing through the financial system.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Then came five Democratic stragglers.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Jeremy told a few stragglers to catch up.
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Getting rid of the Super Bowl stragglers is awkward.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
Get those ballots filled out, stragglers.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2026
The last few stragglers are set to report quarterly results this week.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 7 Dec. 2025
Its companions are four Russian mobsters — stragglers from the previous season — laying on their stomachs with their necks outstretched over the rail.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stragglers
snails
Noun
-
Among its many benefits, diatomaceous earth (DE) can control pests as varied as earwigs, caterpillars, ants and aphids, and keep slugs and snails out of garden beds, too.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The parasite’s usual life cycle involves infected rodents passing the larvae through their feces, which is then eaten by gastropods, such as snails and slugs, according to the study.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stragglers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stragglers. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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