straggle

[ strag-uhl ]

/ ˈstræg əl /

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See synonyms for: straggle / straggling / straggler on Thesaurus.com

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.

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Origin of straggle

1350–1400; Middle English straglen< ?

OTHER WORDS FROM straggle

straggler, nounstrag·gling·ly, adverb

Words nearby straggle

Stradella, Stradivari, Stradivarius, strafe, Strafford, straggle, straggly, straight, straight A, straight-ahead, straight and narrow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use straggle in a sentence

Survivors with minor injuries straggled out with blood splattered on their clothes.
Islamic State claims mosque blast in Kunduz, Afghanistan, that killed nearly 50, injured dozens|Sudarsan Raghavan, Ellen Francis|October 8, 2021|Washington Post
The humpbacks would slap their tails to keep the prey inside that sphere, and pick off the straggling fish nearer to the outside.
A rare humpback whale ‘megapod’ was spotted snacking off the Australian coast|Hannah Seo|September 14, 2021|Popular-Science
Better to straggle along on Zoom, seeing one another’s faces, than mask up for eight hours or more.
Require the vaccine. It’s time to stop coddling the reckless.|Ruth Marcus|July 30, 2021|Washington Post
One by one, the boys straggle out to the cars, again looking sleepy and hung-over.
Stacks: Hitting the Note with the Allman Brothers Band|Grover Lewis|March 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was plain that the Indians were dogging our steps day and night, and the men were warned not to straggle.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter
The Rebel army had made slower marches, and the soldiers could not straggle; they were in an enemy's country.
The Boys of '61|Charles Carleton Coffin.
Soon groups of natives began to straggle up, not in regular formation this time.
A Frontier Mystery|Bertram Mitford
The agile and powerful Zulu, however, was half up in a moment, and the straggle became a hand-to-hand one.
The Luck of Gerard Ridgeley|Bertram Mitford
He could either possess his soul in patience until the mounted contingent began to straggle back, or risk another rock-fall.
The Terms of Surrender|Louis Tracy

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 of straggle

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

straggle

Origin of straggle

OTHER WORDS FROM straggle

Words nearby straggle

Words related to straggle

How to use straggle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for straggle

Derived forms of straggle

Word Origin for straggle