Synonyms of trailing

trailing 1 of 2

noun

as in pursuit

the act of going after or in the tracks of another

the detectives' trailing of the suspect led them to the stolen merchandise

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pursuit
• tracking
• tracing
• tailing
• chasing
• search
• chase
• shadowing
• pursuing
• tagging
• following
• dogging
• hounding
• hot pursuit
• trail
• track
• path
• seeking
• tagging along

trailing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of trail

as in chasing

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

• chasing
• tracking
• pursuing
• following
• escorting
• tailing
• tracing
• accompanying
• dogging
• hounding
• shadowing
• coursing
• tagging
• running after
• running
• watching
• bird-dogging
• hunting
• seeking
• eyeing
• observing
• chaperoning
• searching (for)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• leading
• guiding
• heading
• piloting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of trailing

Noun

Seattle shot 32% (12 of 38) from the field and two of 11 (18%) from behind the arc before going into halftime trailing by 19. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Seattle shot 32% (12 of 38) from the field and 2 of 11 (18%) from behind the arc before going into halftime trailing by 19. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026

Its leading edge sweeps back 37 degrees, with a 28-degree sweep along the trailing edge. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026

To achieve this, the wings need a very high aspect ratio, which is, to put it very simply, the ratio between a wing's span and its average width from its leading edge to its trailing edge. — David Szondy august 04, New Atlas, 4 Aug. 2026

Profits barely budged until mid-2025, then accelerated, rising 25% on a trailing, four-quarter basis through Q1 of 2026. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 30 July 2026

Meanwhile the company repurchased $6 billion of stock over the trailing year, roughly 100 million shares. — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

The room is framed by a mural trailing across the top of the walls, by local artist Rafael Arana, tracking scenes from the life of Gilded Age heiress Arabella Huntington. — Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 26 July 2026

Spain has not spent a single second trailing at this World Cup; Argentina has trailed for more than 100 minutes, including stoppage time. — Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026

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, 5 Sep. 2026

The Giants entered the eighth inning of this game, trailing 12-7. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Richards hung tough early, trailing just 7-0 at halftime before Coleman and Pratt connected for the 19-yard TD on third-and-9 on the opening possession of the second half. — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026

Flores and Lewis ignited a rally in a series of runs after trailing 12-2 in the second set. — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026

Headed to the fourth quarter, Bishop Moore trailing Palos Verdes 21-11. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026

Iraola didn’t have the best of starts, with Liverpool trailing most of the game against Newcastle. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026

The Liberty did just that, trailing by just two points in the first while exhibiting good ball movement and some positive possessions in transition. — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026