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
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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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trailing
Jamie Carter, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
For weeds with trailing rhizomes like creeping Charlie, work your fingers beneath the rhizomes and remove as much of the trailing stems as possible.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026
The Heat led by as many as 14 points in Thursday’s first half, but the Nets made a run late in the second quarter to enter halftime trailing by only four points.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
With less than two seconds left and Michigan State trailing by two, Kennedy Blair — who had already put up a career-best 30 points on 61 percent shooting — got into the paint.
—Chantel Jennings, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Its one-year trailing return is in the eighth percentile.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
Satin pothos are gorgeous houseplants that are known for their large, thick leaves and luscious trailing vines.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
There were also trains galore, perhaps none longer than the 13-foot one trailing from the back of Doechii’s Roberto Cavalli dress.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
Labor also sits at approximately 18% with the Greens trailing at 14% and the Lib Dems coming just behind at 13%.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 26 Jan. 2026
Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026
Northern Iowa missed nine of its first 10 shots and didn't score 10 points until midway through the first half, eventually trailing 47-28 at halftime.
—CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
That hasn’t led to groundswells in support among Schumer’s troops — and in some races, his preferred candidates are trailing in the limited public polling.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Northern Iowa missed nine of its first 10 shots and didn’t score 10 points until midway through the first half, eventually trailing 47-28 at halftime.
—ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
With Auburn trailing 3-1 with the bases loaded and one out, Bristol Carter singled into centerfield.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Huntington Beach was trailing by two runs when left-hander Christian Haupt entered the game in relief in the fourth.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 19 Mar. 2026
Garza entered Wednesday with the second-best net rating of all Celtics rotation players since Vucevic’s injury, trailing only Tatum.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2026
The Bucks found themselves in position to tie the game with possession of the ball and trailing by just three points in the final seconds.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
Shutter speeds typically range from 10 to 25 seconds when using wide-angle lenses, depending on focal length (longer lenses require shorter exposures to avoid star trailing).
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
For weeds with trailing rhizomes like creeping Charlie, work your fingers beneath the rhizomes and remove as much of the trailing stems as possible.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026
The Heat led by as many as 14 points in Thursday’s first half, but the Nets made a run late in the second quarter to enter halftime trailing by only four points.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
With less than two seconds left and Michigan State trailing by two, Kennedy Blair — who had already put up a career-best 30 points on 61 percent shooting — got into the paint.
—Chantel Jennings, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Its one-year trailing return is in the eighth percentile.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
Satin pothos are gorgeous houseplants that are known for their large, thick leaves and luscious trailing vines.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
There were also trains galore, perhaps none longer than the 13-foot one trailing from the back of Doechii’s Roberto Cavalli dress.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
Labor also sits at approximately 18% with the Greens trailing at 14% and the Lib Dems coming just behind at 13%.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
Sam Houston comeback thwarts Irving Arlington Sam Houston scored three unanswered goals after trailing 2-0 in the first half against Irving on Friday night.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026
Northern Iowa missed nine of its first 10 shots and didn't score 10 points until midway through the first half, eventually trailing 47-28 at halftime.
—CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
That hasn’t led to groundswells in support among Schumer’s troops — and in some races, his preferred candidates are trailing in the limited public polling.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Northern Iowa missed nine of its first 10 shots and didn’t score 10 points until midway through the first half, eventually trailing 47-28 at halftime.
—ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
With Auburn trailing 3-1 with the bases loaded and one out, Bristol Carter singled into centerfield.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Huntington Beach was trailing by two runs when left-hander Christian Haupt entered the game in relief in the fourth.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 19 Mar. 2026
Garza entered Wednesday with the second-best net rating of all Celtics rotation players since Vucevic’s injury, trailing only Tatum.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2026
The Bucks found themselves in position to tie the game with possession of the ball and trailing by just three points in the final seconds.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trailing
Noun
-
The South African competition framework was one of the biggest barriers to MTN’s pursuit of Telkom, the third largest network which also runs the biggest fiber optic network in Africa’s biggest economy.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Nathan Lane dryly observed that Chalamet said all this while promoting a movie about Ping-Pong—another pursuit of no interest to huge numbers of people.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Children, in particular, are shown chasing after the smaller robotic units moving around the restaurant.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Mar. 2026
-
At a time when many traditional buyers are either scaling back or chasing bigger bets, Row K positioned itself as a middleman.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Having such a system on aircraft also introduces other issues, like tracking and stabilization, when the target is small and both the target and interceptor are moving.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
-
These are people, not AI bots or applicant tracking systems.—
Amy Lindgren,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Being open to the general public allows guests to get a feel for the space and for staff to build a rapport, said Manon, who is currently pursuing her facilitator license.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Before pursuing acting, Speaks studied Marine and Environmental Science at Hampton University and gained recognition for his research on shark behavior and marine ecosystems.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After two cases were detected at the University of Florida at Gainesville, for instance, health-department officials performed contact tracing, ultimately reaching some 1,000 people, Fred Southwick, an infectious-disease specialist at the university, told me.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The state rolled out mobile vaccine clinics and invited public health experts to help with contact tracing and data management.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While demand for travel surged in the years immediately following pandemic restrictions, price sensitivity appears to be returning as economic uncertainty grows.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The department said there have been no arrests in connection with the case, but investigators are actively following leads.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Mining sites face a similar issue, with arsenic concentrated in tailings near extraction areas.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Why the Boundary Waters Mine Is a Bad Trade Twin Metals skeptics also question where the copper would be processed, and how the millions of tons of mine tailings would be stored safely.—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That leaves little room for the tankers or the naval ships escorting them to maneuver, said Jennifer Parker, adjunct fellow in naval studies at UNSW Canberra and a former Australian naval officer with experience in the Persian Gulf.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
16 Mar. 2026
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Coberg admitted to escorting Iza and the victim the next day to a shooting range in the basement of Iza’s mansion and leaving the two alone.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trailing. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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