straggler

American  

[strag-ler] / ˈstræg lər /

noun

1. a person or thing that lags behind others.

   We’re waiting for a few stragglers, but all entries must be in by Wednesday, March 4th.

2. a person, animal, ship, etc., that wanders around or strays from a path or course.

   The French steamer Tourny, a straggler from its convoy, was sunk by a German U-boat.

   There was a wood quail just 5 yards away on the trail, presumably a straggler from the covey.

3. one of a number of persons or things scattered thinly or at irregular intervals in space or time.

   I didn’t see too many weeds in the garden—just two or three stragglers.

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Etymology

Origin of straggler

First recorded in 1525–35; straggle ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Consumer spending data was OK, excluding cars, along with straggler earnings from the likes of FedEx and General Mills, which reported reasonable numbers.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

And if he were to one day find a red straggler with the right surface features to indicate a primordial black hole?

From Science Magazine • Dec. 13, 2023

The maker of the Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models has scored great success with its hybrids and fuel cells, but it has at times been seen as a straggler in electric vehicles.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2022

He picked up the last straggler, a man running down a road with his cat in a cage.

From New York Times • Aug. 29, 2022

I picked up only a straggler from the albacore that were feeding.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway