Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tailed
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at tail 1, -ed 3
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In many ways, “Becoming George” serves as a thoroughgoing and persuasive amendment to the incomplete legacy that has tailed Sand for so long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Performance-wise, they have not been terrible, but their results have tailed off a bit.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
But those lawsuits tailed off after the 1990s as the center increasingly focused on what it calls “tracking hate.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
However, traffic tailed off the second half of the year, with the L.A. port expecting a single-digit decline in volume this year before Friday’s decision.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
“It sounds odd, I know ...” I said, and I tailed off then, because it doesn’t just sound odd, it sounds insane when you say it out loud.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
