straggle

[ strag-uh l ]
/ ˈstræg əl /

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

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 stragglers

poke, lag, slowpoke, loafer, idler, loiterer, procrastinator, lagger, dawdler, lounger, tarrier

Example sentences from the Web for stragglers

British Dictionary definitions for stragglers

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