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Synonyms

trailing

British  
/ ˈtreɪlɪŋ /

adjective

  1. (of a plant) having a long stem which spreads over the ground or hangs loosely

    trailing ivy
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Now in his 18th season, Durant played the second-most total minutes of any player this season, trailing only 23-year-old teammate Amen Thompson.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

The company will use the vast bulk of the proceeds from the IPO to reduce its ample debt of $5.7 billion to a more manageable $3.5 billion, or about four times trailing adjusted Ebitda.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

Polls showed Orbán had been trailing for months behind Magyar, a former ally who turned against Fidesz in 2024 and built Tisza into a political force.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

For comparison, OpenAI said last week that it’s generating $2 billion a month, which “likely implies” that it’s trailing Anthropic on a run-rate basis, according to Jefferies analyst Brent Thill.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Marco emerges from the wing of the stage with the girl in the green dress trailing close behind him.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.