straggle

[ strag-uh l ]
/ ˈstræg əl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR straggle 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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compact
joined or packed together; closely and firmly united; dense; solid.
ready or inclined to fight.
not participating actively.
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Origin of straggle

1350–1400; Middle English straglen < ?

OTHER WORDS FROM straggle

strag·gler, nounstrag·gling·ly, adverb

Words nearby straggle

stradella, stradivari, stradivarius, strafe, strafford, straggle, straggly, straight, straight a, straight and narrow, straight and narrow, the
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to straggle

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

Example sentences 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 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