TRAILING Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of trailing

Noun

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 Compared with Spain’s near-flawless record, the reigning champions have spent 14 per cent of their tournament trailing, which is double the rate of their triumphant campaign in Qatar (seven per cent). — Mark Carey, New York Times, 18 July 2026 The graceful trailing stems and showy flowers of climbing hydrangeas (Hydrangea anomala) look beautiful growing on pergolas and fences. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 27 June 2026 Over a century later, the Himalayan blackberry has spread far beyond the modest backyard bounds its importers envisioned, opting instead to take over indiscriminately and displace the native trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus) in the process. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2026 Austria was in striking distance trailing by one goal until the final moments, when Messi scored his second goal. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 June 2026 Positive trailing returns outside of tech are not a bad thing! — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 15 June 2026 The combination has left New York trailing by as many as nine points. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 9 June 2026 The bigger issue is that Jason Adam has pitched with a lead once in his past five appearances and Jeremiah Estrada has gone six appearances pitching in either a tie game or with the Padres trailing. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2026

Verb

With the Royals trailing 2-1, Perez led off the seventh inning with his 401-foot blast off Kyle Finnegan over the Tigers bullpen in left. — Dave Hogg, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026 Last year, Cook had 39 carries of 10+ yards, trailing only De’Von Achane (40). — Michael Salfino, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Bears continue to flag the company’s rich valuation—the company trades at a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of close to 60—and concerns about the pricing of ServiceNow’s products. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 July 2026 Howard makes the second-most 3-pointers per game in the league — trailing only Toronto’s Marina Mabrey, who’s also competing. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 22 July 2026 Perez is in Year 15, trailing only Mike Trout and Jose Altuve (16 years each) on that list. — Sam McDowell July 22, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026 There are seemingly miles of vendors and antiques experts speeding their way from booth-to-booth with a Hulken bag of their wares trailing behind. — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 18 July 2026 The reigning champions produced late drama in their last two knockout matches, beating England 2-1 and Egypt 3-2 with last-gasp goals after trailing for large portions of both games. — Mark Hodge, NBC news, 17 July 2026 Finishing in third would be England’s second-best performance in a World Cup, trailing only its 1966 championship. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 17 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trailing

Noun

While the researchers describe the lifestyles of Blue Zoners as simple but highly active, in general, a lot of their pursuits were cognitively based.

— Refractor, Refractor, 27 July 2026
Longevity cannot be positioned only as an elite pursuit for people who are already well.

— Billee Howard, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Definition of pursuit

Verb

The company has built its reputation not by chasing the highest horsepower figures, but by delivering modest power and clever engineering at attainable prices.

— Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
That injury has long healed — but Carapaz is still seemingly incapable of sitting in his saddle, permanently on his pedals and on the attack, chasing rivals, stages, and the polka-dot jersey.

— Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 July 2026

Definition of chasing

Noun

Both are Saudi-flagged, according to maritime tracking agency MarineTraffic.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
The stage will combine an LED volume wall, advanced camera tracking and real-time 3D engines to blend physical sets and actors with digital environments.

— Savannah Sicurella, AJC.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of tracking

Verb

The country already spends one of the highest proportions of GDP on defence among NATO members and is simultaneously pursuing acquisitions such as F-35 fighter aircraft and new naval platforms to improve its overall military readiness.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 July 2026
Diet culture doesn’t care about your health The flippant comments about this parasite belie the dominant belief that weight loss is inherently about pursuing health.

— Oona Hanson, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

Definition of pursuing

Noun

Contact tracing remains a challenge, with coverage of those exposed still at 67%.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Last year, along with UNICEF, Haiti launched a program known as PREJEUNES to provide children released from armed gangs with specialized protection services, including psychosocial support, education, family tracing and reunification.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026

Definition of tracing

Verb

In the days following Maduro’s ouster, the UK’s then-Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK still did not recognize the Venezuelan government.

— German Padinger, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Los Angeles was the site of significant unrest following raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

— Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Definition of following

Noun

Unlike other hard metals, tungsten is largely nontoxic, but the byproducts from mining it—called tailings—contain other harmful metals including arsenic, copper, zinc and lead and can leach into the environment.

— Ari Sen, Scientific American, 13 June 2026
Initial environmental analytics work will focus on water quality, particulate emissions, geotechnical stability, tailings performance, biodiversity indicators and carbon intensity per metric ton produced.

— Nia Bowers, USA Today, 8 May 2026

Definition of tailing

Verb

Lander then really made headlines when he was arrested by ICE agents while escorting (and trying to protect) a constituent in immigration court.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
The footage shows two troopers slowly escorting the driver through waist-deep water while a strong current rushes past them.

— Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026

Definition of escorting

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Style

“Trailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trailing. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of trailing

noun

verb

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