trail
verb (used with object)
to drag or let drag along the ground or other surface; draw or drag along behind.
have been trailing
-
present perfect progressiveof trail.present perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that began in the past, has continued continuously, and is still in progress.
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.
Sales have been trailing at many companies, and earnings have been squeezed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
That lack of progress with a banking union, in turn, has weighed on the stocks of Europe's banks, which have been trailing their U.S. rivals for years.
From Reuters ● Jun. 16, 2022
The Magic have been trailing by double digits for 99 of the 192 minutes that they’ve played so far this season, or 52% of the time.
From Fox News ● Oct. 25, 2021
But the banner, which should have been trailing behind the plane, was actually attached to its front.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2021
For some reason the quartet of fugitives must have been trailing quite a distance behind the main band, and so had been warned in time by the gunfire.
From Rebel Spurs by Andre Norton
