tails

American

[teylz] / teɪlz /

adjective

(of a coin) with the reverse facing up.

On the next toss, the coin came up tails.

noun

tailcoat.

tails British

/ teɪlz /

plural noun

an informal name for tail coat

"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

interjection

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of tails

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

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.

He covered the Supreme Court decision that a deeply rooted tradition of downing bulls by pulling their tails in popular competitions was against the constitution.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

In other words, the tails matter, not just the belly of the distribution.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

The One Ring, a symbol of power and the driving force behind Tolkien's saga dominates the reverse, or tails side of the 50p coin.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

The international team of researchers were able to piece together the separate odysseys from photos of the whales' tails -- including some taken by amateur photographers on cruises -- captured decades apart.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Even their tails wagged in unison: hup, hup, hup, hup.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023