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

Young had three turnovers, got sacked five times, threw for a mere 163 yards and left in the fourth quarter with the Panthers trailing, 43-6. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2026

This attractive trailing vine is a great starter plant for a lower-light space. — Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 21 Oct. 2026

In the third inning, and again in the fifth inning, Tommy Edman comes to bat with Miguel Rojas on first base, none out, and the Dodgers trailing, 1-0. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 15 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

Verb

Although Ossoff is heavily favored to win reelection, Bottoms is trailing Jackson slightly in the RealClearPolitics average of polls heading into Election Day. — Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2026

Bulls coach Tiago Splitter wanted to let his team play free in the clutch, opting to forego a timeout to draw up a play when Giddey secured a rebound with 24 seconds left and the Bulls trailing by only three points. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026

The Lakers turned the ball over on the next possession, but pieced together an 8-1 run during the fourth quarter to pull away for a thrilling nine-point win after trailing by 18 during the second quarter. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

On a pivotal drive, Jackson registered a sack, while forcing a fumble, spun down the receiver short of the first-down marker on 3rd-and-16 and forced a turnover on downs with a tackle for loss, with the Gators trailing 17-3. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026

Then the pheasant rooster came up, multicolored and shining in the sun, trailing a tail of feathers like a kite. — Heide Brandes, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026

Just a few weeks earlier, multiple polls had Netanyahu trailing Eisenkot. — Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026

Next week, Nixon — who is trailing between 4 and 6 percentage points in the latest polls — finds out whether her Israel stance affects her performance among the state’s substantial Jewish minority. — Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026

With the Jazz trailing 105-100, Sensabaugh and George hit back-to-back buckets to send the game into overtime. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026