as in chased
to go after or on the track of
detectives tailed the suspect to see where he was going at that time of the evening
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Recent Examples of tailed
Vast numbers of gregarious Central Texas grackles — the separate common and great-tailed species — assemble by the thousands at night, especially during the winter.
—
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
The Bride learns to view herself as a monster after a night of dancing at a club ends in violence, forcing the couple to hit the road, where they're tailed by a detective (played by Gyllenhaal's husband, Peter Sarsgaard), and his brilliant but long-suffering secretary (Penélope Cruz).
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
After the showing, the crowd high-tailed it over to Genghis Cohen on Fairfax Avenue for a packed after party.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
When the officers left the parking lot, Rank tailed immediately behind them in her car.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
But it was quickly revealed that each of the ‘unsupervised’ cars were in fact being tailed by other ‘supervised’ Tesla cars (with drivers present) …so any claims of achieving true unsupervised autonomy are disingenuous at best.
—Laurie Winkless, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Feliciano's white pickup was fresh from the repair shop after protesters tailed and rammed him on a busy street in Chicago amidst the controversial Operation Midway Blitz, during which Border Patrol agents fired tear gas at protesters after being confronted by angry crowds.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
Of course, most evenings here will either be topped or tailed by a visit to a Dublin pub, but for everything in between, these are our favorite Dublin restaurants across the city right now to grab an indulgent bite to eat.
—Aoife O'Riordain, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2025
El Toro tailed 30-17 going into the fourth quarter.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
The Bride learns to view herself as a monster after a night of dancing at a club ends in violence, forcing the couple to hit the road, where they're tailed by a detective (played by Gyllenhaal's husband, Peter Sarsgaard), and his brilliant but long-suffering secretary (Penélope Cruz).
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
After the showing, the crowd high-tailed it over to Genghis Cohen on Fairfax Avenue for a packed after party.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
When the officers left the parking lot, Rank tailed immediately behind them in her car.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
But it was quickly revealed that each of the ‘unsupervised’ cars were in fact being tailed by other ‘supervised’ Tesla cars (with drivers present) …so any claims of achieving true unsupervised autonomy are disingenuous at best.
—Laurie Winkless, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Feliciano's white pickup was fresh from the repair shop after protesters tailed and rammed him on a busy street in Chicago amidst the controversial Operation Midway Blitz, during which Border Patrol agents fired tear gas at protesters after being confronted by angry crowds.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
Of course, most evenings here will either be topped or tailed by a visit to a Dublin pub, but for everything in between, these are our favorite Dublin restaurants across the city right now to grab an indulgent bite to eat.
—Aoife O'Riordain, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2025
El Toro tailed 30-17 going into the fourth quarter.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tailed
Verb
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According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, the shooting happened last Monday night after a 27-year-old man, identified as William Forhan, was robbed and then chased after the suspect while firing a gun multiple times.—
Joan Murray,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
All the agencies chased the versatile 25-year-old.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Self-improvement, in this view, isn’t pursued to, well, improve the self.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
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When people can’t afford to pay off balances their insurance plans don’t cover, the PRA report shows how hospitals and medical providers frequently pursued medical debt lawsuits.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Container traffic has stagnated, and tracked cargo saw a double-digit decline for the fiscal year through February.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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All requests submitted are assigned a ticket number so they can be tracked and real-time updates are posted so residents can stay informed on the status of requests, the release said.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Saturday’s nose win followed a neck victory over Chief Wallabee in last month’s Fountain of Youth Stakes.—
Clark Spencer,
Miami Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
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The event included speakers and musical performances, followed by a march.—
Jasmine Arenas,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On Tuesday night, Orosco flew back to the United States, escorted by Miami-Dade Sheriff's detectives and the FBI.—
Anna McAllister,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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For more than a decade, Morgan Webb escorted visiting employees around Charlotte as part of a corporate relocation program for the financial services company Equitable.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tailed. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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