TAILING Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

tailing 1 of 2

noun

ˈtā-liŋ

Definition of tailing

as in pursuit

the act of going after or in the tracks of another the reporter's constant tailing of the candidate resulted in an exclusive scoop

Synonyms & Similar Words

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tailing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of tail

as in chasing

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 tailing

Noun

What starts as harmless tailing quickly evolves into something much more dangerous — Bret’s high-speed pursuit isn’t subtle, and Robert turns the tables on him by pulling over and then tapping Bret’s Mercedes 450SL from behind. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026 Unlike other hard metals, tungsten is largely nontoxic, but the byproducts from mining it—called tailings—contain other harmful metals including arsenic, copper, zinc and lead and can leach into the environment. — Ari Sen, Scientific American, 13 June 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 Since 1952, Salar de Talabre, a tailing basin, has been used to dispose of mining waste from Chuquicamata; these days, too, from Radomiro Tomic and Ministro Hales. — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tailing

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tailing

Noun

Still, in the pursuit of the A-list, the show hasn’t forgotten its roots.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
The mob zigzagged a few more times, with the herders in pursuit.

— Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of pursuit

Verb

There are playbooks, touchdowns, running, passing and players chasing each other all over the field.

— Patricia Babcock McGraw OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Produced almost exclusively by Oscar Scheller — who has crafted tracks for PinkPantheress and Lily Allen — the 12-track project finds Kelela chasing intimacy, desire and emotional refuge in the midst of an increasingly chaotic world.

— Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of chasing

Noun

Part of the answer lies in building a resilience posture backed by more inventory, backup suppliers and better tracking and monitoring software.

— Zaharia-Gabriel Sidere, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 2026
The researchers then also assessed charge and discharge rates, voltage limits, and power tracking.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of tracking

Verb

The Bears are pursuing a contentious move to Indiana, where state officials have offered over $1 billion in public support to build a new stadium in the northeast city of Hammond, just on the other side of the Illinois border.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026
This conclusion drives home that Chris will never be able to fully vanquish evil; he’ll be stuck in a loop, eternally pursuing this specter.

— Samantha Bergeson, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of pursuing

Noun

But in the second half, and with the Seahawks trailing, Fleury opened up the offense, much to the team’s benefit.

— Andrew Destin, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Van Dam said the Dutch were surprised to win the right to host the Solheim Cup, with golf trailing well behind in the list of most popular sports in the Netherlands fronted by soccer, tennis and field hockey.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of trailing

Verb

William's engagement in Oslo comes less than 24 hours after he was photographed escorting his oldest son, Prince George for his first day at Eton College on Tuesday.

— Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Nearby hangs Rockwell’s famous 1964 oil painting showing marshals escorting 6-year-old Ruby Bridges to an integrated school.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of escorting

Verb

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Moscow's demand for a comprehensive peace deal, not a temporary break in hostilities, following Ukraine's call for a complete and unconditional ceasefire.

— HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
Séance marks Kerr’s second feature as a writer-director following Scrap, which starred Anthony Rapp and Lana Parrilla.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026