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Synonyms

trailing

British  
/ ˈtreɪlɪŋ /

adjective

  1. (of a plant) having a long stem which spreads over the ground or hangs loosely

    trailing ivy
"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

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.

The discovery in a border area of neighbouring Serbia comes as Orban's party is badly trailing in opinion polls ahead of crucial elections next Sunday.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Apple is also contending with the AI race and is seen to be trailing.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

At halftime, the Huskies went into the locker room trailing the top team in the nation by 15 points.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Disney-owned ABC had widely promoted the 22nd season of the show, in which 22 men compete for a relationship with a single woman, including trailing it during Sunday night's Oscars gala.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

I nearly forgot my fear, there in the brim, staring at sky and trailing smoke.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

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.