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.

Tech stocks are operating against a “heads I win, tails I win” backdrop, said Garrett Melson, portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Managers Solutions.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 26, 2026

My parents were left with a choice: Move back to Argentina with their tails between their legs, or start again where they were.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

Acceleration is initially much faster, but so is the rate at which it tails off later on the straights.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 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

Tiamat was flying after them, snapping at their tails.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

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