definitions

straggle

[ strag-uh l ]
/ ˈstræg əl /
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verb (used without object), strag·gled, strag·gling.

to stray from the road, course, or line of march.
to wander about in a scattered fashion; ramble.
to spread or be spread in a scattered fashion or at irregular intervals: The trees straggle over the countryside.

RELATED WORDS

dawdle, ramble, meander, lag, poke, roam, drift, tail, straddle, trail, range, spread, rove, loiter, maunder, scramble

Nearby words

stradella, stradivari, stradivarius, strafe, strafford, straggle, straggly, straight, straight a, straight and narrow, straight and narrow, the

Origin of straggle

1350–1400; Middle English straglen < ?

Related forms

strag·gler, nounstrag·gling·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for straggle

British Dictionary definitions for straggle

straggle

/ (ˈstræɡəl) /

verb (intr)

to go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way; stray
to linger behind or wander from a main line or part

Derived Forms

straggler, nounstraggling, adjectivestragglingly, adverbstraggly, adjective

Word Origin for straggle

C14: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to strake and stretch
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