tail 1 of 2

noun

ˈtāl How to pronounce tail (audio)
Definition of tailnext
1
as in entourage
a body of employees or servants who accompany and wait on a person the tail that accompanies the prince wherever he goes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in cheeks
the part of the body upon which someone sits get your tail in here

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in back
a behind part or surface the tail of the ship

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tail

2 of 2

verb

as in to chase
to go after or on the track of detectives tailed the suspect to see where he was going at that time of the evening

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tail
Noun
On its tail in the eastern tropical Atlantic is another tropical wave several hundred miles south of the Cape Verde Islands with disorganized showers and thunderstorms. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026 Which brings us back to the peacock and its enormous, colorful tail that isn't especially practical. — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 11 Aug. 2026
Verb
Keirin cycling involves riders tailing behind a pace bike which gradually increases its speed over three circuits of a velodrome. — Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026 Steer clear of puddles - Driving into puddles or low areas of rainwater can cause vehicles to hydroplane or skid out of control. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tail
  1. entourage
  2. cheeks
  3. back
  4. chase
  5. bum
  6. track
  7. seat
  8. pursue
Noun
  • The bout was a big draw for glitterati, gangs and their entourages -- particularly from Southern California.
    — Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The witness list includes others who previously testified to the grand jury, including Malcolm Greenidge, a friend of Shakur’s who was traveling in his entourage that night.
    — Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of entourage
Noun
  • And just that, seeing tearstains on my father’s cheeks, was like seeing water run uphill.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Their skin is flawless, their cheeks rosy, their bodies unmarked by the forces of gravity or physical strain.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheeks
Noun
  • The situation at left-back or left wing-back is not much better.
    — James McNicholas, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The band will play in six cities during its fall tour, culminating in back-to-back concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of back
Verb
  • The Play-In Tournament is not eagerly being chased, and the league’s broadcasting partners will look elsewhere in the near future.
    — Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Absorptive art beckons the viewer—who chases after that which ignores it, a tale as old as time—whereas the Minimalism Fried attacked was very big, very look-at-me, very exhibitionist.
    — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of chase
Noun
  • For families Apart from the family-sized villa estates and kid-friendly menus, Nihi has a host of activities that will please even the youngest beach bums.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Aug. 2026
  • And for any bum stuff Ted might want confidentially looked at.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of bum
Verb
  • The Defense Ministry in Bucharest said in a statement that the craft was tracked and shot down by a Spanish F-18 fighter jet.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • This electron camera can track atomic movements down to the femtosecond, which is one quadrillionth of a second.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of track
Noun
  • Nationally, white lawmakers typically hold some of the 115-plus House seats where the voting-age population is majority non-white.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Fans struggled to secure wheelchair accessible seats, especially after they were sold at astronomical resale values, and couldn’t get clear answers about what accommodations would be available in the stadium.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of seat
Verb
  • But North Korea has also long pursued an end to US military exercises with South Korea.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • In other words, Disney said that its rationale for pursuing a new theme park in a new market remains unchanged.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of pursue

Phrases Containing tail

Browse Nearby Words

tags along
tail
tailback
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tail. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on tail

Nglish: Translation of tail for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tail

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of oxymoron

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All