TRAIL Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'trail' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of trail are chase , follow , and pursue . While all these words mean "to go after or on the track of something or someone," trail may stress a following of tracks or traces rather than a visible object. // trail deer // trailed a suspect across the country

Q: When would 'chase' be a good substitute for 'trail'?

While in some cases nearly identical to trail , chase implies going swiftly after and trying to overtake something fleeing or running. // a dog chasing a cat

Q: When is it sensible to use 'follow' instead of 'trail'?

The meanings of follow and trail largely overlap; however, follow puts less emphasis upon speed or intent to overtake. // friends followed me home in their car

Q: Where would 'pursue' be a reasonable alternative to 'trail'?

The words pursue and trail can be used in similar contexts, but pursue suggests a continuing effort to overtake, reach, or attain. // pursued the criminal through narrow streets

trail 1 of 2

noun

Definition of trail

as in path

a rough course or way formed by or as if by repeated footsteps took a trail through the woods to get to the main road

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in track

a mark or series of marks left on a surface by something that has passed along it the slugs left a slimy trail on the sidewalk

Synonyms & Similar Words

trail

2 of 2

verb

ˈtrāl

as in to track

to go after or on the track of we trailed our friend into the woods, inadvertently spoiling his plans for a solitary hike

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word trail distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of trail are chase, follow, and pursue. While all these words mean "to go after or on the track of something or someone," trail may stress a following of tracks or traces rather than a visible object.

trail deer

trailed a suspect across the country

When would chase be a good substitute for trail?

While in some cases nearly identical to trail, chase implies going swiftly after and trying to overtake something fleeing or running.

a dog chasing a cat

When is it sensible to use follow instead of trail?

The meanings of follow and trail largely overlap; however, follow puts less emphasis upon speed or intent to overtake.

friends followed me home in their car

Where would pursue be a reasonable alternative to trail?

The words pursue and trail can be used in similar contexts, but pursue suggests a continuing effort to overtake, reach, or attain.

pursued the criminal through narrow streets

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 trail

Noun

Defense lawyers at his trial said no witness explicitly identified Allen as the man seen near the trail the afternoon the girls went missing. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026 This incredible trail freezes a single, ancient walk in stone. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026

Verb

During a mound visit in the top of the first inning with the Colorado Rockies already trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks by two runs, a lone voice of encouragement emerged from an otherwise restless and murmuring crowd at Coors Field. — ABC News, 22 Sep. 2026 Both Hinson and Rogers trail their Democratic opponents in the Real Clear Politics average of polls as their races head into the final stretch. — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for trail

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trail

Noun

On the property’s 5 acres, the botanist owner has grown specimen plants, trees, and a meadow garden, complemented by an outdoor sculpture, walking paths, and a Native American geological landmark.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 21 Sep. 2026
There is no path to achieving climate goals that does not run through nature.

— Marcene Mitchell, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of path

Noun

With all that said, there are still a lot of pleasures in this production that remain failsafe, even after the ride toward a way-too-inevitable outcome is firmly on its tracks.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Leigh feared the tracks might be too arch, too pretentious, too insincere.

— Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of track

Verb

Could the left groin tightness that chased Blake Snell from his last start after an inning linger into the postseason?

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
There are playbooks, touchdowns, running, passing and players chasing each other all over the field.

— Patricia Babcock McGraw OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of chase

Noun

But this one swept through Bright Angel Canyon, the site of one of the few footpaths that lead up the Gran Canyon’s North Rim.

— Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
Take the paved footpath behind Zori past olive groves to reach the ACI Marina, its restaurants and the taxi boats that take you to Hvar Town and the notoriously hedonistic beach club, Carpe Diem, on the neighboring island of Marinkovac.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of footpath

Noun

What happened—which can be reconstructed from messages that the agents sent one another and from traces of their own internal reasoning, known as chain-of-thought records—makes for gripping reading.

— Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
With no eyewitness or traces of blood connecting her to the crime, the prosecution’s case relied solely on circumstantial evidence.

— Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of trace

Verb

While Paul pursues acting in front of the camera, his wife has built a career behind it.

— Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of pursue

Noun

For Cazares, detainment created a pathway that otherwise would not have been available, said Peter Meinecke, senior staff attorney at The Resurrection Project.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
The resulting electrode must maintain connected pathways for both electrons and lithium ions.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of pathway

Noun

During the town hall, Caudle told a sailor who was evacuated from Bahrain that officials are working on retrieving belongings that were left behind because the Navy does not have imminent plans to return to the same level of footprint on the base.

— Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Eric Ollerenshaw produces the film, which was shot in the Midlands with Wolverhampton company New Lion Films co-producing, giving the project a regional footprint outside London.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of footprint

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“Trail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trail. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of trail

noun

verb

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