tailing

American  

[tey-ling] / ˈteɪ lɪŋ /

noun

1. the part of a projecting stone or brick tailed or inserted in a wall.

2. tailings,

   1. Building Trades. gravel, aggregate, etc., failing to pass through a given screen.

   2. the residue of any product, as in mining; leavings.

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tailing British  

/ ˈteɪlɪŋ /

noun

1. the part of a beam, rafter, projecting brick or stone, etc, embedded in a wall

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Etymology

Origin of tailing

First recorded in 1640–50; tail ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

They’re tailing skiers as they rip through moguls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

For example: The work C was doing has a name—“commuting”—a deliberately mundane term for pursuing, tailing, and deliberately irritating ICE agents moving through the city in unmarked cars.

From Slate • Jan. 16, 2026

But other portions were harder to confirm -- with Thai authorities not providing information, and Chinese officials tailing our reporters and impeding efforts to talk further with him.

From Barron's • Oct. 14, 2025

A few months later, undercover Internal Affairs detectives began tailing the two involved officers — something that Garza and Gonzalez both claimed they were kept in the dark about.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2025

Harry streaked past Katie in the opposite direction, gazing around for a glint of gold and noticing that Cho Chang was tailing him closely.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• intelligence