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trailed

verb

past tense of trail
as in chased
to go after or on the track of we trailed our friend into the woods, inadvertently spoiling his plans for a solitary hike

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 trailed Milwaukee trailed 2-1 when Garrett Mitchell drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a Joey Ortiz double, which came on Boyd's 100th and final pitch of the day. — CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026 Lane Kiffin walked the streets with his team in front of him, while Livvy Dunne and Theo Vonn trailed just behind the Tigers' head coach. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026 Sugar trailed the index for most of the year before surging in August and ending the period ahead of the S&P 500. — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2026 South Dakota State drove deep into Northwestern territory twice in the second quarter but had to settle for a pair of Alvano field goals and trailed 10-6 at intermission. — Scott Held, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026 The Americans, who led 30-24 at halftime, saw Italy go on a 11-2 run to start the third quarter and trailed 35-32 before finishing the period up 42-39. — ABC News, 6 Sep. 2026 The Bobcats trailed Lewisville 42-0 at halftime, failed to stay competitive, and went on to lose 49-7. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026 The 2024 Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who had trailed 5-0 in the third set, saved a match point and won seven games in a row to beat 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026 The Dream trailed the Lynx for just 31 seconds, all in the first minute of Sunday afternoon’s action. — Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trailed
  1. chased
  2. tracked
  3. pursued
  4. followed
  5. escorted
  6. traced
  7. accompanied
Verb
  • The man, identified as 22-year-old Rohit Rohit, chased Thakur down outside a Panera and shot her multiple times, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Operators that mastered complexity while others chased appearances.
    — Nia Bowers, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of chased
Verb
  • Removals of Nicaraguans have also surged, with deportation flights to Managua increasing more than fourfold under Trump compared to under President Biden, according to data tracked by Human Rights First.
    — Ismael López, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In real-world testing with the always-on display enabled, one tracked workout with GPS per day, and otherwise typical use, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 lasted for 74 hours.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of tracked
Verb
  • More recently, Kiffin pursued a pair of players who spent offseason time on NFL rosters.
    — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Pancho’s brothers pursued their own leads, at one point visiting a local leader of organized crime.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of pursued
Verb
  • The move is the first in a string of major central bank decisions this week, with the Bank of England up next, and followed by the Bank of Japan on Friday.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
  • That study, being conducted by DRC and Doctors Without Borders, will give participants a shot of Ervebo, followed a month later by a shot of an experimental vaccine designed to protect against the Sudan version of the Ebola virus.
    — Helen Branswell, STAT, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of followed
Verb
  • Police escorted people out of a home in Pennsauken, New Jersey, on Wednesday, and an armored vehicle is on the scene.
    — Joe Brandt, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The officers stopped the boat and escorted it to shore, where the men were arrested.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of escorted
Verb
  • Dillard’s wide-ranging work traced how ordinary moments reveal the eternal in animals, landscapes, family and art.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Some of it could be traced back to the level and cohesiveness of the opponent – Maryland returned 71% of its production from last year, second-most in the FBS – but some, too, goes back to a collection of mistakes that the Huskies have to eliminate.
    — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of traced
Verb
  • My pungent plateful grew in strength from tomme to Shropshire blue, accompanied by crusty bread, fruit and nuts.
    — Adrienne Wyper, TheWeek, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Considerable controversy and confusion accompanied this moment; some students tried to sue expensive universities on the grounds that a closed campus was not worth the full-freight price.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of accompanied

Browse Nearby Words

trailblazing
trailed
trailer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trailed. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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