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
Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
The mocha-mousse dress featured long sleeves, a plunging V-neckline, ab-baring cutouts, crisscross designs, and a wispy trailing skirt.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 11 Jan. 2026
Brown scored 27 points and committed five turnovers in the loss, including one with 47 seconds remaining and the Celtics trailing, 95-93.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
Tottenham took the lead against Bournemouth through Mathys Tel but entered half-time trailing after goals from Evanilson and Eli Junior Kroupi.
—Sam Joseph, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Mosley pulled his starters with four and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter and the Magic trailing by 26 points.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
Old garden roses can be climbing, trailing, or bushy shrubs.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 20 Dec. 2025
Miami scored on five of six possessions at one point — the one non-scoring drive came on a kneel down to end the first half — then sent a message to both the Panthers and the CFP selection committee after Pitt called a timeout trailing by 24 with under 2 minutes to go.
—CBS News, 29 Nov. 2025
Curry was limping throughout the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 104-100 loss to the Rockets on Wednesday night and eventually went to the locker room in the game’s final minute with Golden State trailing by five points.
—Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2025
Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The Tritons outscored the Aggies 55-44 in the second half after trailing 30-25 at the break.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
The dramatic sequence unfolded Wednesday afternoon near Notre Dame Avenue and West Julian Street, in the shadow of Highway 87, and drew widespread attention after videos circulated showing the suspect on the ground and being struck by a trailing police vehicle as gunshots rang out.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
Soon his parents and older sister arrive from the air, trailing rainbows behind their colorful capes.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Sentimental Value clocked nine nominations, trailing only the record-breaking Sinners, One Battle After Another, Frankenstein, and Marty Supreme.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Jan. 2026
Hosting the Hornets on Thursday night, Orlando failed to accomplish such a start, trailing by 15 after the first quarter, and found itself behind most of the night in a 124-97 loss to Charlotte inside Kia Center.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
The Comets had entered the fourth quarter trailing 6-5 before a pair of Wave goals to open the final quarter created a three-goal deficit.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 13 Jan. 2026
And the San Francisco 49ers upset the Philadelphia Eagles after trailing by two points on the road with seven minutes to go.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
Noun
In the final two minutes, with the Bruins trailing, Dent knocked down a 3-point shot and dished to Tyler Bilodeau for another 3-pointer that restored the Bruins’ lead with eight seconds left.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
The mocha-mousse dress featured long sleeves, a plunging V-neckline, ab-baring cutouts, crisscross designs, and a wispy trailing skirt.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 11 Jan. 2026
Brown scored 27 points and committed five turnovers in the loss, including one with 47 seconds remaining and the Celtics trailing, 95-93.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
Tottenham took the lead against Bournemouth through Mathys Tel but entered half-time trailing after goals from Evanilson and Eli Junior Kroupi.
—Sam Joseph, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Mosley pulled his starters with four and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter and the Magic trailing by 26 points.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
Old garden roses can be climbing, trailing, or bushy shrubs.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 20 Dec. 2025
Miami scored on five of six possessions at one point — the one non-scoring drive came on a kneel down to end the first half — then sent a message to both the Panthers and the CFP selection committee after Pitt called a timeout trailing by 24 with under 2 minutes to go.
—CBS News, 29 Nov. 2025
Curry was limping throughout the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 104-100 loss to the Rockets on Wednesday night and eventually went to the locker room in the game’s final minute with Golden State trailing by five points.
—Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2025
Verb
Parkinson’s 12 targets inside the 15-yard line in the regular season were the second-most on the Rams, trailing only Davante Adams’ 26.
—Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The Tritons outscored the Aggies 55-44 in the second half after trailing 30-25 at the break.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
The dramatic sequence unfolded Wednesday afternoon near Notre Dame Avenue and West Julian Street, in the shadow of Highway 87, and drew widespread attention after videos circulated showing the suspect on the ground and being struck by a trailing police vehicle as gunshots rang out.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
Soon his parents and older sister arrive from the air, trailing rainbows behind their colorful capes.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Sentimental Value clocked nine nominations, trailing only the record-breaking Sinners, One Battle After Another, Frankenstein, and Marty Supreme.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Jan. 2026
Hosting the Hornets on Thursday night, Orlando failed to accomplish such a start, trailing by 15 after the first quarter, and found itself behind most of the night in a 124-97 loss to Charlotte inside Kia Center.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
The Comets had entered the fourth quarter trailing 6-5 before a pair of Wave goals to open the final quarter created a three-goal deficit.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 13 Jan. 2026
And the San Francisco 49ers upset the Philadelphia Eagles after trailing by two points on the road with seven minutes to go.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trailing
Noun
-
Take time for reflection or spiritual pursuits.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The chase continued onto highways 85 and 87 before the suspect exited in Willow Glen and drove to the final shooting site downtown, with officers from San Jose police, the CHP and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office in pursuit.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Two of the monkeys had applauded the event with hopping and grunts, but the other three had shot like arrows into the trees, chasing after the peculiar bird that had remained indifferent to their antics.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Even in an era when AI can write code, Brin cautioned students against chasing—or abandoning—fields of study based solely on automation fears.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This ensuing odyssey rapidly evolves from a mere tracking expedition into a brutal test of endurance and a profound, sensory initiation.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
-
People are going all out to make their cards visually appealing and fun to use, turning goal-tracking into a hands-on activity that’s both satisfying and motivating.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Board of Education is now pursuing legal action against former administrators and vendors, accusing them of conspiring to defraud the district.—
Ali Bauman,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The model, who made her runway debut at the age of 16 for Dennis Basso’s Spring/Summer 2018 collection, opened up last year on Vogue's podcast The Run-Through about pursuing a career in the fashion industry.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Trying to track and contain a highly contagious virus—which requires interventions such as testing and rapid contact tracing—will tax public-health departments, too.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
18 Dec. 2025
-
Part of Save the Children’s work is family tracing, which means trying to find out whether a relative is already in the camp or has arrived from a different route to a nearby area.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Congressional hearings about the Abbey Gate attack began in March 2023, following initial investigations by the Department of Defense in late 2021.—
Alexandra Rockey Fleming,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Kiefer Sutherland was arrested following an alleged altercation with a rideshare driver.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In Zambia, a Chinese mining company spilled toxic tailings into waterways.—
Nicholas Kusnetz,
Wired News,
27 Dec. 2025
-
Current industry practice involves destroying residual cyanide in waste tailings.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Shortly afterward, as bailiffs were escorting him across a street outside the courthouse, Eteghaei broke free and ran, his hands shackled in front of him, the Independent said.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Murray rocked a royal rewear of his Prince Charming costume from the teen rom com, escorting his wife Sarah Roemer to a prom at the Children's Hospital of Orange County oncology department.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trailing. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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