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

How to use straggle in a sentence

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
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