tails

American  

[teylz] / teɪlz /

adjective

1. (of a coin) with the reverse facing up.

   On the next toss, the coin came up tails.

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noun

1. tailcoat.

tails British  

/ teɪlz /

plural noun

1. an informal name for tail coat

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interjection

1. with the reverse side of a coin uppermost: used as a call before tossing a coin Compare heads

Etymology

Origin of tails

First recorded in 1675–85; tail ¹ + -s ¹

Example Sentences

Acceleration is initially much faster, but so is the rate at which it tails off later on the straights.

From BBC

They started walking around us stiff-legged, with their tails standing straight up, and looking at us sideways.

From Literature

Rana likes to follow polar bear tracks and listen to her mother’s stories: “Stories about the old ice, the long long polar night, the Great Bear and how snow foxes make light with their tails.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Her forehead was bound with a purple rag, and her hair hung like thin gray tails around her face.

From Literature

Some golden lines swirled in rings, like puppies who chased their own tails.

From Literature

Related Words

• cloak
• frock
• jacket
• overcoat
• raincoat
• suit
• tuxedo
• windbreaker
• wrap