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
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
El Toro tailed 30-17 going into the fourth quarter.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
In May, Fremont police and CHP officers reportedly formed a convoy around an Omni Logistics shipment headed to San Jose after noticing the truck was being tailed by a suspicious vehicle authorities had previously been surveilling as part of the investigation.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2025
Unwisely agreeing to go for a spin, Tony finds they’re soon tailed by an ominous black SUV.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
In Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma, Manchester City are top and tailed by arguably the best in their positions in the country.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Johnson tailed her from Calvary Church to her home that Sunday morning.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
During the drive, they were pulled over by law enforcement twice in a 10-minute span just east of Indianapolis in stops that the FBI long denied had anything to do with him being tailed.
—Idaho Statesman, 30 Dec. 2022
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
El Toro tailed 30-17 going into the fourth quarter.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
In May, Fremont police and CHP officers reportedly formed a convoy around an Omni Logistics shipment headed to San Jose after noticing the truck was being tailed by a suspicious vehicle authorities had previously been surveilling as part of the investigation.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2025
Unwisely agreeing to go for a spin, Tony finds they’re soon tailed by an ominous black SUV.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
In Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma, Manchester City are top and tailed by arguably the best in their positions in the country.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Johnson tailed her from Calvary Church to her home that Sunday morning.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
During the drive, they were pulled over by law enforcement twice in a 10-minute span just east of Indianapolis in stops that the FBI long denied had anything to do with him being tailed.
—Idaho Statesman, 30 Dec. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tailed
Verb
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However, about a year after Starwood bought the office buildings, the coronavirus outbreak ushered in wide-ranging business shutdowns that chased workers out of their offices over fears about the spread of the deadly virus.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Arsenal's French captain and goalscorer Patrick Vieira (front) is chased by Anthony Gardner of Tottenham during their Premier League clash at White Hart Lane in north London, 25 April 2004.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
During his time as governor, Warsh objected to some of the low-interest rate policies that the Fed pursued during and after the 2008-09 Great Recession.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
-
When energy security is pursued through coercion, legal shortcuts, or discretionary intervention, those foundations weaken.—
Maria Mendiluce,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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More Californians have moved to Ada County than anywhere else in Idaho, according to voter registration data tracked by the Idaho Secretary of State’s office.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Jan. 2026
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As Boston’s biggest position-player addition this offseason and a homegrown wunderkind whose rapid rise through the farm system was tracked with eagle eyes, respectively, Contreras and Anthony are something of an unexpected pairing.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The global health crisis was followed by yearslong supply chain issues, semiconductor chip shortages, political whipsawing, tariffs and other challenges for all-electric and autonomous vehicles.—
Michael Wayland,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Judge Elizabeth Dunigan sentenced Caruso to three years and one day in state prison to be followed by two years of probation.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hill first took office in January 2005, beginning his tenure by firing 27 deputies who were stripped of their guns and badges and then escorted out as sheriff’s office snipers stood guard on the roof of the jail.—
Shaddi Abusaid,
AJC.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Earlier, some people were escorted from the room, including two in tears, as an animation of the flights began.—
Gary Fields,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tailed. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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