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

The mayor was the top vote-getter in the June 2 primary, but numerous several polls now show her trailing. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026

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, 7 Sep. 2026

The pilot can then adjust speed and make turns by pulling steering brake lines to deform the trailing edge or shifting weight in the harness. — New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026

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

Verb

Jose Ramirez had two hits and Nathaniel Lowe added an RBI double in the second inning for the Guardians, who have won five of their last six playoff games since trailing the Chicago White Sox 2-0 in their AL division series. — Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

This time, however, the field trailing her is unusually fragmented. — Nicholas Bequelin, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

At the time of the acquisition, KFC was Coke's second-largest fountain account, trailing only McDonald's. — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026

The first time was on the final play of the first half, with the Jaguars trailing 14-7. — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

The Vikings have held the ball more than any team in the NFL but one, trailing only the division rival Chicago Bears in that basic but vital metric. — CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

With the Liberty trailing 86-80 and less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Sabrina Ionescu buried a deep 3-pointer to cut Atlanta’s lead to three. — Chantz Martin Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

The White Sox were trailing by a pair of runs in the sixth inning, but had the bases loaded with two outs and the heart of their lineup ready to pounce. — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Food Lion ranks as the third-largest grocer by market share in the area with 103 total stores, trailing Walmart and Harris Teeter, respectively, according to Chain Store Guide. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 8 Oct. 2026