straggled; straggling
ˈstra-g(ə-)liŋ 
2
: to trail off from others of its kind
little cabins straggling off into the woods
: a straggling group (as of persons or objects)
Examples of straggle in a Sentence
Verb
The children straggled in from outside.
People straggled off the train.
She straggled behind the rest of the group.
Branches straggled out and blocked the path.
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Pizza boxes were strewn about from the night before, and a few straggling musicians and associates were puttering around, dipping their feet in the infinity pool.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Katie Goh Ponders Citrus in Art and Life Along the Himalayan massif, the remnant straggles of ancient citrus groves sprawl.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for straggle
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Verb
Half an hour before showtime, a bus pulled up and out straggled the bleary-looking Arkestra.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Pizza boxes were strewn about from the night before, and a few straggling musicians and associates were puttering around, dipping their feet in the infinity pool.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
In the small Campo dei Tolentini, presided over by the haughty neoclassical columns of the eponymous church, a queue straggles from a tiny bar.
—Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Katie Goh Ponders Citrus in Art and Life Along the Himalayan massif, the remnant straggles of ancient citrus groves sprawl.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for straggle
Cite this Entry
“Straggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straggle. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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