straggle
to spread or be spread in a scattered fashion or at irregular intervals: The trees straggle over the countryside.
to lag behind others: Some organizations have caught on to this concept, but others are straggling behind.
to stray from the road, course, or line of march.
to wander about in a scattered fashion; ramble.
Origin of straggle
1Other words from straggle
- strag·gler, noun
- strag·gling·ly, adverb
Words Nearby straggle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
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 PostThe 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-ScienceBetter 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 PostOne 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 | THE DAILY BEASTIt 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 MitfordThe 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 MitfordHe 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
/ (ˈstræɡəl) /
to go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way; stray
to linger behind or wander from a main line or part
Origin of straggle
1Derived forms of straggle
- straggler, noun
- straggling, adjective
- stragglingly, adverb
- straggly, adjective
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
Browse