1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

tailgating

verb

present participle of tailgate
as in tailing

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tailgating
  1. tailing
  2. dogging
  3. shadowing
  4. hounding
  5. trailing
Verb
  • The Ultimate Digital Leash No noir detective story is complete without a session of tailing the suspect through the gritty streets and alleys.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Federal drug agents and officers with the NYPD’s 25th Precinct began tailing Salcedo’s vehicle, a Nissan van registered to an elevator repair company, which led them to a Public Storage self-storage facility on Northern Blvd.
    — Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of tailing
Verb
  • Investors have been ratcheting up their expectations for the industry as some companies hike their outlooks and get a better handle on rising medical costs in those plans – an issue that has been dogging the broader sector for more than two years.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 29 July 2026
  • There is a new solution to a problem that's been dogging the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.
    — Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of dogging
Verb
  • Schwartz spent several months shadowing these doulas and exploring their work.
    — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Tokenized stocks aren't just shadowing the underlying assets.
    — Malana VanTyler, jsonline.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of shadowing
Verb
  • Though some accusations seem to hold water, the headline is his hounding in context.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
  • McDonnell’s personal circle was also hounding her for repayment.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of hounding
Verb
  • The pinkish squid glided two miles beneath the surface, its long, pale legs trailing from undulating fins, stunning scientists who know remarkably little about its diet, behavior or reproduction.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • With the Cardinals trailing 6-4 in the ninth, Thomas Saggese drew a leadoff walk from Jordan Romano (0-3) and stole second with one out.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of trailing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

tailgates
tailgating
tailing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tailgating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tailgating. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 facsimile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All