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

The combination has left New York trailing by as many as nine points. —

Andrew Greif, NBC news, 9 June 2026 On the foreign direct investment front, India has attracted gross capital of over $90 billion on a 12-month trailing basis ending January 2026, up 13% year on year. —

Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 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 Training plants to stay off the ground instead of trailing prevents many common fungal diseases, fruit spots, and rots. —

Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 May 2026 Before 2014, bull kelp—a whip-like kelp with bulbous air bladders and trailing blades —stretched across Northern California’s coastline in dense tangles. —

Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026 Though polls leading up to the election showed Cornyn trailing, most failed to accurately predict the sweeping scale of the incumbent’s loss. —

Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 27 May 2026 Via MoneyPuck Score effects were a factor here; leading teams often go into a defensive shell to protect that edge, while trailing teams can pump up the shots and risk to get back into the game. —

Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 20 May 2026 With 36 seconds left and Atlanta trailing by one, Jordin Canada pounced on an A'ja Wilson turnover, drove the length of the floor and converted a running layup to give the Dream an 84-83 lead. —

Christopher Harris, CBS News, 17 May 2026

Verb

The game was a nail-biter, with the Knicks trailing the Spurs by nearly 30 points at the first half, only to come back in the second half and win in the last minute of the game by one point. —

Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026 This massive cash infusion supplements Alphabet’s staggering $174 billion in trailing 12-month operating cash flow and a debt balance that recently scaled past $100 billion. —

Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 12 June 2026 After trailing by as many as 29 points in the second half and even 20 in the fourth quarter in Game 4 on Wednesday, the New York Knicks completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history to take a 3-1 series lead, rather than being tied at two heading back to Texas. —

Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026 The statement followed an Instagram Stories post in which Gomez congratulated the Knicks for their 107-106 victory over the Spurs after trailing by 29 points at one point in the game. —

Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026 Nearly a month into the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, cases continue to rise as officials are still trailing the virus in their response efforts. —

Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026 Teams had been 0-96 when trailing by 17 or more points in the final nine minutes of regulation in a Finals game since 1970-71. —

C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026 Moore tried it again in Game 7 of the World Series, with another seventh-inning single while trailing by a run. —

Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 29 May 2026 With regard to the housing market, to return to the Texas comparison, New York is trailing. —

Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trailing

Noun

His pursuit of those goals continues this summer, when Mora can become only the eighth 17-year-old to play in the World Cup, and the youngest ever for Mexico.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 12 June 2026
The combination of vivid landscapes, attractions and activities, and cultural pursuits makes Samaná a unique destination that continues to gain ground on the world tourism map.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 June 2026