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Showing results for "tailing"
  • present participle of tail.
Search instead for twiling.
Synonyms

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.


tailing British  
/ ˈteɪlɪŋ /

noun

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

"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 tailing

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

See Examples For:

Her international career was at risk of tailing off.

From BBC Jul. 8, 2026

ChatGPT price-war report comes as data shows AI usage already tailing off.

From MarketWatch Jun. 11, 2026

They’re tailing skiers as they rip through moguls.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 13, 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

Everywhere 1 went those first few days after Mrs. Castro was identified as the person behind the attack, I had at least two reporters tailing me.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin

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