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
The activity is not unlike the way US and Soviet submarines tailed one another in the Cold War, but instead of running silent and running deep, highly reflective satellites easily stand out against the inky blackness of space.
—
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Meanwhile, Dean Estabrook tailed the bus full of his Yuba City High School choir students from his personal car, a two-vehicle caravan en route to a choral exchange in the Bay Area.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Details about the underlying allegation remain murky, but the department sources familiar with the matter said the LAPD’s secretive Special Operations Division tailed officers who were under investigation.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
One rider, identified as Richard Collins, the leader of the group, told Fox 5 Atlanta the black SUV tailed the group and laid down the horn.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
The hit was outsourced to a hulking Estonian assassin, Imre (the Butcher) Arakas, who arrived at Dublin Airport on April 3, 2017, and was immediately tailed by officers from the An Garda Síochána’s Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, who arrested him the next day.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
Players who find themselves being tailed tend to take it first as a badge of honor.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2026
Plan was to be bushy tailed & beauty rested, as I was meant to head straight to glam for a slot with our beloved Drew Barrymore upon landing.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
Plan was to be bushy tailed & beauty rested [sic], as I was meant to head straight to glam for a slot with our beloved @DrewBarrymore, upon landing.
—Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 10 Apr. 2026
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Meanwhile, Dean Estabrook tailed the bus full of his Yuba City High School choir students from his personal car, a two-vehicle caravan en route to a choral exchange in the Bay Area.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Details about the underlying allegation remain murky, but the department sources familiar with the matter said the LAPD’s secretive Special Operations Division tailed officers who were under investigation.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
One rider, identified as Richard Collins, the leader of the group, told Fox 5 Atlanta the black SUV tailed the group and laid down the horn.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
The hit was outsourced to a hulking Estonian assassin, Imre (the Butcher) Arakas, who arrived at Dublin Airport on April 3, 2017, and was immediately tailed by officers from the An Garda Síochána’s Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, who arrested him the next day.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
Players who find themselves being tailed tend to take it first as a badge of honor.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2026
Plan was to be bushy tailed & beauty rested, as I was meant to head straight to glam for a slot with our beloved Drew Barrymore upon landing.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
Plan was to be bushy tailed & beauty rested [sic], as I was meant to head straight to glam for a slot with our beloved @DrewBarrymore, upon landing.
—Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tailed
Verb
-
Chow and his son chased the boy out of the store and off the store property, for about 130 yards.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
Then, Rage chased Abdi with his arm extended and Abdi collapsed to the ground, video showed.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Under French criminal procedure law, prosecutors determine how to follow up on complaints and whether charges could be pursued.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
Denver pursued Middleton pretty aggressively before the buyout market deadline earlier this year.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Police tracked the vehicle the shooter left in to a residence in Overland Park, and Lubin was arrested.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
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She was threatened with a knife and forced to leave her mobile phone and AirTag in a shop so she could not be tracked.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Soon other colonies followed the state’s lead, and the 13 colonies approved the Declaration of Independence two days later.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
The transformation happened gradually, first a patio, then a beer and wine license, followed by a bar.—
Conor McGill,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Recently, a viral video showed a couple in handcuffs escorted by a police officer outside Soldier Field on the night of May 17 after a Bruno Mars concert.—
Laura Rodríguez Presa,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
-
He was escorted to a new seat and an off-duty flight attendant volunteered to sit in his row.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tailed. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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