tails

American

[teylz] / teɪlz /

adjective

(of a coin) with the reverse facing up.

On the next toss, the coin came up tails.

noun

tailcoat.

tails British

/ teɪlz /

plural noun

an informal name for tail coat

"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

interjection

with the reverse side of a coin uppermost: used as a call before tossing a coin Compare heads

"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

Etymology

Origin of tails

First recorded in 1675–85; tail ¹ + -s ¹

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.

He wanted to take a crack at writing like artists like Billie Eilish, but he couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

Northern folk legend holds that arctic foxes create the Northern Lights by sweeping snow into the air with their tails, we learn in an author’s note.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Suddenly, the Irish tails were up and replacement prop Michael Milne burrowed over.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

But, as Arteta said, there is a "long way" to go - and both City and Villa remain hot on Arsenal's tails.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025

Wide tails rose above the water and then sank below.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

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