tail

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈtāl 

often attributive

1

: the rear end or a process or prolongation of the rear end of the body of an animal

2

: something resembling an animal's tail in shape or position: such as

a

: a luminous stream of particles, gases, or ions extending from a comet especially in the antisolar direction

b

: the rear part of an airplane consisting usually of horizontal and vertical stabilizing surfaces with attached control surfaces

3

: the reverse of a coin

—usually used in plural

tails, I win

4

tails plural

a

: tailcoat

b

: full evening dress for men

5

: a location immediately or not far behind

had a posse on his tail

6

: one (such as a detective) who follows or keeps watch on someone

7

a

: buttocks, butt

b

slang, vulgar : sexual intercourse

8

: retinue

9

: the back, last, lower, or inferior part of something

10

: tailing sense 1

—usually used in plural

11

: the blank space at the bottom of a page

tailed

ˈtāld 

adjective

tailless

ˈtāl-ləs 

adjective

taillike

ˈtāl-ˌlīk 

adjective

tail

2 of 4

verb

tailed; tailing; tails

transitive verb

1

: to follow for purposes of surveillance

2

: to connect end to end

3

a

: to remove the tail of (an animal) : dock entry 3

b

: to remove the stem or bottom part of

topping and tailing gooseberries

4

a

: to make or furnish with a tail

b

: to follow or be drawn behind like a tail

intransitive verb

1

: to form or move in a straggling line

2

: to grow progressively smaller, fainter, or more scattered : abate

—usually used with off

productivity is tailing off

—Tom Nicholson

3

: to swing or lie with the stern in a named direction

—used of a ship at anchor

4

: tag entry 2

tailer noun

tail

3 of 4

noun (2)

: entail sense 1a

tail

4 of 4

adjective

: limited as to tenure : entailed

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• cortege
• cortège
• entourage
• following
• posse
• retinue
• suite
• train

Verb

• bird-dog
• chase
• course
• dog
• follow
• hound
• pursue
• run
• shadow
• tag
• trace
• track
• trail

Examples of tail in a Sentence

Verb

The police had been tailing the suspect for several miles.

She is constantly tailed by the press.

The pitch tailed away from the batter.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

On Cameron’s screen, the actors were sleek and blue, tails gently bobbing. —Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

After the infamous police chase where the authorities were tailing a white Ford Bronco containing Simpson and his friend and former teammate Al Cowlings, Jason met his father at his Brentwood home and tried to speak to him. —Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024

According to the lawsuit filed this week, the deputy abandoned the roadside confrontation, hopped in his cruiser and started tailing Brock. —Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024

Some dorids have penises in their necks and will mate top to tail with others, inseminating each other simultaneously. —Helen Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

Investigators say Gentry fatally shot 32-year-old Tiffany Kidwell after tailing her to her sister’s house in Walton and confronting Kidwell about seeing his children. —Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 27 Mar. 2024

Kenny and his pirate uniform come through with a shot of Chen and the Jane Doe, and outside the restaurant, Knight and Feng clock a man tailing them. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 25 Mar. 2024

How do tail light and all car indicator standards differ across the globe? —Quartz Staff, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024

Navalny had previously been poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok, which a CNN-Bellingcat investigation found he had been tailed by a unit of the Russian Security Service (FSB) that specialized in toxins and nerve agents. —Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024

Noun

Sea otters' tails are short and flat, while river otters' tails are long and pointy, the Seattle Aquarium reports. —Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024

Several of the jackets were informed by designs Marlene Dietrich commissioned from Dior, and one model sported the top hat, white waistcoat, and black tails the actress wore in the famous nightclub scene from Morocco. —Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2024

This tail lengthens and shrinks seasonally depending on Mercury’s proximity to the sun. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024

But the long tail that film has cast will be part of the celebration as well. —Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024

Performing before a wall festooned with hundreds of tuna tails, Mr. Amagatsu created movements that seemed to reduce himself to the figure of a boy. —Alex Williams, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024

Most rain jackets list their sizes according to the length of a dog's body from the neck to the bottom of the tail. —Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024

Like that of a Negroni, its pungent tail demands another sip to find the sweet hit again. —Becky Cooper, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024

According to other Hindu legends, all nine planets of Vedic astrology are said to live in the belly of the god Ganesha or in the tail of the god Hanuman. —Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English tægel; akin to Old High German zagal tail, Middle Irish dúal lock of hair

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from tailler

Adjective

Middle English taille, from Anglo-French taylé, past participle of tailler to cut, limit — more at tailor

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1523, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tail

• brown-tail moth
• draggle-tail
• e-tail
• fee tail
• lizard's tail
• mare's tail
• nose to tail
• not make head or/nor tail of
• one-tail
• on someone's tail
• put a tail on (someone)
• rat-tail file
• rooster tail
• tail covert
• tail end
• tail fin
• tail hook
• tail off
• the tail end
• the tail wagging the dog
• trundle-tail
• turn tail
• two-tail
• with one's tail between one's legs

Kids Definition

tail

1 of 3 noun

ˈtā(ə)l 

1

: the rear end or a lengthened growth from the rear end of the body of an animal

2

: something resembling an animal's tail

the tail of a kite

the tail of a comet

3

plural : full evening dress for men

4

: the back, last, lower, or rear part of something

the tail of an airplane

5

: the reverse of a coin

6

: one (as a detective) who follows or keeps watch on someone

7

: a location not far behind

a posse on the outlaw's tail

tailed

ˈtā(ə)ld 

adjective

tailless

ˈtā(ə)l-ləs 

adjective

taillike

-ˌlīk 

adjective

tail

2 of 3 adjective

: being at or coming from the rear

tail

3 of 3 verb

1

: to make or furnish with a tail

2

a

: to follow or be drawn behind like a tail

b

: to follow closely to observe : shadow

tailer noun

Medical Definition

tail

noun

ˈtā(ə)l 

often attributive

1

: the rear end or a process or prolongation of the rear end of the body of an animal

2

: one end of a molecule regarded as opposite to the head

especially : the end of a lipid molecule that consists of a nonpolar hydrocarbon chain and is opposite to the polar group

most surface-active agents have a long hydrophobic tail attached to a polar head

—R. E. Kirk & D. F. Othmer

3

: any of various parts of bodily structures that are terminal: as

a

: the distal tendon of a muscle

b

: the slender left end of the human pancreas

c

: the common convoluted tube that forms the lower part of the epididymis

4

: the motile part of a sperm that extends from the middle piece to the end and comprises the flagellum

5

: a thin protein tube which forms part of the coat of some bacteriophages and through which DNA is injected into a cell

tailed

ˈtā(ə)ld 

adjective

tailless

ˈtā(ə)l-les 

adjective

Legal Definition

tail

1 of 2 noun

1

: the condition of being limited or restricted by entailing

a tenant in tail

2

: entail sense 2

tail

2 of 2 adjective

: limited as to tenure see also fee tail at fee sense 1

Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French, literally, cutting, from Old French, from taillier to cut, prune