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

Kim Kardashian wove her way through the crowd, pausing perfectly to look over her shoulder for a trailing photographer. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 8 Nov. 2026

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

Verb

The latest Illinois Report Card, released last month, showed Black students trailing their peers across most academic measures. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026

Now 9-0-3 in its past 12 games, Montreal came in trailing Boston by one point for the top spot in the division. — CBS News, 13 Nov. 2026

Will Smith’s Westbrook Racing is trailing 40 points behind, but could still clinch the championship. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 Nov. 2026

The game still looked finished when Ausmus came to the plate with his team trailing 6-5 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. — Matt Young, Houston Chronicle, 11 Nov. 2026

The duo ignited a 6-0 run in the fourth set and Granada Hills led 15-9 after trailing 2-1 and facing elimination. — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 11 Nov. 2026

Florida doubled its lead just more than two minutes later when Carter Verhaeghe gathered a loose puck and slid a slick pass through the legs of Provorov to a trailing Eller, who buried the puck in the back of the net. — Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2026

The Lakers, trailing by two, soon flipped the game with 13 unanswered points to end the quarter. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026

Located on the seventh floor of the hotel, with views out across Vienna’s rooftops, it’s moodily lit with trailing ferns hanging from the ceiling. — Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 5 Nov. 2026