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trail
[treyl]
verb (used with object)
to drag or let drag along the ground or other surface; draw or drag along behind.
to bring or have floating after itself or oneself.
a racing car trailing clouds of dust.
to follow the track, trail, or scent of; track.
to follow along behind (another), as in a race.
to mark out, as a track.
to tread down or make a path through (grass or the like).
to draw out, as speech; protract.
Ceramics., to pour (slip) on a biscuit so as to produce a pattern.
verb (used without object)
to be drawn or dragged along the ground or some other surface, as when hanging from something moving.
Her long bridal gown trailed across the floor.
to hang down loosely from something.
to stream from or float after something moving, as dust, smoke, and sparks do.
to follow as if drawn along.
to fish by trailing a line from a moving boat; troll.
to go slowly, lazily, or wearily along.
to pass or extend in a straggling line.
to change gradually or wander from a course, so as to become weak, ineffectual, etc. (usually followed by off oraway ).
Her voice trailed off into silence.
to arrive or be last.
He finally trailed in at 10 o'clock.
to be losing in a contest.
The home team was trailing 20 to 15.
to creep or crawl, as a serpent.
to follow a track or scent, as of game.
(of a plant) to extend itself in growth along the ground rather than taking root or clinging by tendrils, etc.
noun
a path or track made across a wild region, over rough country, or the like, by the passage of people or animals.
the track, scent, or the like, left by an animal, person, or thing, especially as followed by a hunter, hound, or other pursuer.
Synonyms: spoorsomething that is trailed or that trails behind, as the train of a skirt or robe.
a stream of dust, smoke, light, people, vehicles, etc., behind something moving.
Artillery., the part of a gun carriage that rests on the ground when the piece is unlimbered.
Architecture., a running vine, leaf, or tendril ornament, as in a Gothic molding.
trail
/ treɪl /
verb
to drag or stream, or permit to drag or stream along a surface, esp the ground
her skirt trailed
she trailed her skipping rope
to make (a track or path) through (a place)
to trail a way
to trail a jungle
to chase, follow, or hunt (an animal or person) by following marks or tracks
to lag or linger behind (a person or thing)
(intr) (esp of plants) to extend or droop over or along a surface
(intr) to be falling behind in a race or competition
the favourite is trailing at the last fence
(tr) to tow (a boat, caravan, etc) behind a motor vehicle
(tr) to carry (a rifle) at the full length of the right arm in a horizontal position, with the muzzle to the fore
(intr) to move wearily or slowly
we trailed through the city
(tr) (on television or radio) to advertise (a future programme) with short extracts
to invite a quarrel by deliberately provocative behaviour
noun
a print, mark, or marks made by a person, animal, or object
the act or an instance of trailing
the scent left by a moving person or animal that is followed by a hunting animal
a path, track, or road, esp one roughly blazed
something that trails behind or trails in loops or strands
the part of a towed gun carriage and limber that connects the two when in movement and rests on the ground as a partial support when unlimbered
engineering the distance between the point of contact of a steerable wheel and a line drawn from the swivel pin axis to the ground
(on television or radio) an advertisement for a future programme
Other Word Forms
- trailingly adverb
- trailless adjective
- nontrailing adjective
- untrailed adjective
- untrailing adjective
- trail-less adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of trail1
Word History and Origins
Origin of trail1
Idioms and Phrases
trail arms,
to hold a rifle in the right hand at an oblique angle, with the muzzle forward and the butt a few inches off the ground.
a command to trail arms.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
The grass near the trail is dry and wheat-colored but slowly recovering in small, verdant sections.
In a court filing, authorities accuse Rinderknecht of setting a fire just after midnight on Jan. 1 along a popular hiking trail in Pacific Palisades.
The trail was quiet that morning, and he saw no firefighting resources in the area on the ground or in the air.
He walks up the trail to a small clearing, passing a sign saying “No Fires/Smoking.”
The fire was sparked on 7 January near a popular hiking trail overlooking the wealthy coastal neighbourhood.
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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.
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