as in pursuit
the act of going after or in the tracks of another
the detectives' trailing of the suspect led them to the stolen merchandise
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in chasing
to go after or on the track of
we trailed our friend into the woods, inadvertently spoiling his plans for a solitary hike
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trailing
Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
He was lifted after that, having thrown 82 pitches and with the Padres trailing by two runs.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Place one tall plant in the back, one medium plant in front of it and one trailing or low plant at the base.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Such was the case at Lincoln-Way West on Friday when Balta came up with two on and two out and Lincoln-Way East trailing by one run.
—Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
The Padres won a game after entering the ninth inning trailing by four-plus runs for the first time since June 14, 2019.
—ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
In the opening salvo, the Ducks drew first blood but went into the break trailing, also engaging in a pair of fights.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
Right now, only the team that’s trailing can attempt an onside kick.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026
Shutter speeds typically range from 10 to 25 seconds when using wide-angle lenses, depending on focal length (longer lenses require shorter exposures to avoid star trailing).
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Jason Cooke, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
The stock fell 15% this year through Thursday’s close, trailing the more than 5% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 Index.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
And the latest third-period call ever came in 1985, when the Capitals’ Bobby Carpenter was awarded a chance against the Islanders’ Billy Smith with just 30 seconds left in a game Washington was trailing by a goal.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Try Southern Living's Little Lucky series or a trailing lantana that stays compact enough for containers.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 Apr. 2026
Thyme is a large group of herbaceous, evergreen plants with both upright and trailing or spreading varieties.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Apr. 2026
Then-French President François Hollande waved away the Cuban bodyguard trailing the two leaders and the moment became fodder for the country’s late-night comedians.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
The most recent Emerson College poll showed Becerra received a 15-point bump among Democrats, trailing only Steyer.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
That’s been enough for Minnesota to seize a 2-1 lead after trailing by 19 points early in Game 2.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
The investigation revealed a large amount of blood located at the residence where Limon and Abugharbieh lived with a third roommate, per the affidavit, which alleged investigators found blood trailing from the entry of the apartment, through the kitchen, to Abugharbieh's room.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
He was lifted after that, having thrown 82 pitches and with the Padres trailing by two runs.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Place one tall plant in the back, one medium plant in front of it and one trailing or low plant at the base.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Such was the case at Lincoln-Way West on Friday when Balta came up with two on and two out and Lincoln-Way East trailing by one run.
—Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
The Padres won a game after entering the ninth inning trailing by four-plus runs for the first time since June 14, 2019.
—ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
In the opening salvo, the Ducks drew first blood but went into the break trailing, also engaging in a pair of fights.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
Right now, only the team that’s trailing can attempt an onside kick.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026
Shutter speeds typically range from 10 to 25 seconds when using wide-angle lenses, depending on focal length (longer lenses require shorter exposures to avoid star trailing).
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
Eldridge again set up the score, throwing on the brakes entering the offensive zone along the blue line and hitting a trailing Rattray with a pass.
—Jason Cooke, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
The stock fell 15% this year through Thursday’s close, trailing the more than 5% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 Index.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
And the latest third-period call ever came in 1985, when the Capitals’ Bobby Carpenter was awarded a chance against the Islanders’ Billy Smith with just 30 seconds left in a game Washington was trailing by a goal.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Try Southern Living's Little Lucky series or a trailing lantana that stays compact enough for containers.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 Apr. 2026
Thyme is a large group of herbaceous, evergreen plants with both upright and trailing or spreading varieties.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Apr. 2026
Then-French President François Hollande waved away the Cuban bodyguard trailing the two leaders and the moment became fodder for the country’s late-night comedians.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
The most recent Emerson College poll showed Becerra received a 15-point bump among Democrats, trailing only Steyer.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
That’s been enough for Minnesota to seize a 2-1 lead after trailing by 19 points early in Game 2.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trailing
Noun
-
Beyond the question of criminal referrals, the commission’s report urged DHS to restrict certain ICE and Customs and Border Protection practices, including the use of chemical agents, physical force and vehicle pursuits during civil immigration enforcement.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Tillis, speaking to The Washington Post after the Comey charges were announced, sounded skeptical about the case and seemed to directly link a confirmation vote for Boyle to the pursuit of actual crime.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Bain excels in a few other areas that happen to be vital for those chasing QBs for a living.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Producer Lindsay Doran has pretty much been chasing it ever since and finally got the film version made.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Use personal tracking devices like an Apple AirTag.—
Joey Skladany,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In the wake of the Iranian attack on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, MarineTraffic tracking data shows an almost total standstill of vessels transiting through the waterway.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Now prosecutors pursuing the threats case face their own challenge of proving that Comey intended to communicate a true threat or at least recklessly discounted the possibility that the statement could be understood as a threat.—
Eric Tucker,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
America should be pursuing policies that ease the burden on US manufacturers to become the dominant force in this race, not increase it.—
Alex Durante,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While similar tracing has been a part of golf and tennis coverage for years, the thinness and speed of fencing blades required special know-how to digitally follow.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Path tracing, a more realistic form of ray tracing, has been used by some games since, but its high demands mean it's still used sparingly.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Pau Cubarsi was back to his best, as was Pedri, who appeared to have lost some of his characteristic spark in recent matches following his return from a hamstring injury.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
In the months following, a federal judge temporarily blocked the termination of TPS for Haitian immigrants, granting a reprieve to nearly 57,000 Haitian TPS holders in New York.—
Dr. Alister Martin,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
After all, Zinc, phosphate, and even coal mines all over the globe have abundant rare earth elements in their tailings that are comparable to low-grade conventional deposits.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Twin Metals wants to build an underground copper-nickel mine, processing facility and tailings storage facility along Birch Lake, which flows into the BWCAW via the Kawishiwi River.—
Jimmy Lovrien,
Twin Cities,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At Saturday night's press dinner, Donald and Melania were sitting onstage shortly after the start of the dinner when live footage showed Secret Service agents entering the ballroom and quickly escorting the president out of the room.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Its mandate includes securing mine sites, escorting mineral shipments to processing facilities and border crossings and protecting foreign investments.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trailing. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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