as in snails
someone who moves slowly or more slowly than others
by three o'clock, only a few stragglers were still making their painful way to the marathon's finish
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Recent Examples of stragglers
This spring, Brood II stragglers will emerge between late April and May in states like Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut, and North Carolina, according to a map from the University of Connecticut.
—
Finch Walker, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
They’re known, aptly, as stragglers.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 12 Apr. 2026
The Yankees and Giants played the official first game of the season, but the majority of teams began play on March 26 (with a few stragglers on March 27).
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026
Wolves commonly kill stragglers, but though some of these animals are weak, others are not.
—Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026
In the coming days, weary investors will also need to contend with a fresh batch of jobs data and a few stragglers on the earnings front, including Club name Nike .
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 29 Mar. 2026
As the crowd loops onto W 46th Street, a few stragglers follow behind, but a majority of marchers have reentered the park.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
This spring, Brood II stragglers will emerge between late April and May in states like Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut, and North Carolina, according to a map from the University of Connecticut.
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Mar. 2026
Yet a few stragglers, drinks in hand, watched the horizon, waiting for ignition.
—Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
Finch Walker, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
They’re known, aptly, as stragglers.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 12 Apr. 2026
The Yankees and Giants played the official first game of the season, but the majority of teams began play on March 26 (with a few stragglers on March 27).
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026
Wolves commonly kill stragglers, but though some of these animals are weak, others are not.
—Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026
In the coming days, weary investors will also need to contend with a fresh batch of jobs data and a few stragglers on the earnings front, including Club name Nike .
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 29 Mar. 2026
As the crowd loops onto W 46th Street, a few stragglers follow behind, but a majority of marchers have reentered the park.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
This spring, Brood II stragglers will emerge between late April and May in states like Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut, and North Carolina, according to a map from the University of Connecticut.
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Mar. 2026
Yet a few stragglers, drinks in hand, watched the horizon, waiting for ignition.
—Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stragglers
snails
Noun
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However, borax will not work on pests that aren't interested in eating it, such as termites, bed bugs, mosquitoes, flying insects above ground level, or any number of other outdoor pests, such as slugs and snails.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
17 May 2026
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The snails’ iron-rich shell is a vital part of their survival strategy—but not as a protective armor, says Chong Chen, a senior scientist at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology and a leading expert on the scaly-foot snail, who led the effort to map its genome.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stragglers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stragglers. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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