as in chased
to go after or on the track of
detectives tailed the suspect to see where he was going at that time of the evening
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Recent Examples of tailed
The Bride learns to view herself as a monster after a night of dancing at a club ends in violence, forcing the couple to hit the road, where they're tailed by a detective (played by Gyllenhaal's husband, Peter Sarsgaard), and his brilliant but long-suffering secretary (Penélope Cruz).
—
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
After the showing, the crowd high-tailed it over to Genghis Cohen on Fairfax Avenue for a packed after party.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
When the officers left the parking lot, Rank tailed immediately behind them in her car.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
But it was quickly revealed that each of the ‘unsupervised’ cars were in fact being tailed by other ‘supervised’ Tesla cars (with drivers present) …so any claims of achieving true unsupervised autonomy are disingenuous at best.
—Laurie Winkless, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Feliciano's white pickup was fresh from the repair shop after protesters tailed and rammed him on a busy street in Chicago amidst the controversial Operation Midway Blitz, during which Border Patrol agents fired tear gas at protesters after being confronted by angry crowds.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
El Toro tailed 30-17 going into the fourth quarter.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
In May, Fremont police and CHP officers reportedly formed a convoy around an Omni Logistics shipment headed to San Jose after noticing the truck was being tailed by a suspicious vehicle authorities had previously been surveilling as part of the investigation.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2025
Unwisely agreeing to go for a spin, Tony finds they’re soon tailed by an ominous black SUV.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
After the showing, the crowd high-tailed it over to Genghis Cohen on Fairfax Avenue for a packed after party.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
When the officers left the parking lot, Rank tailed immediately behind them in her car.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
But it was quickly revealed that each of the ‘unsupervised’ cars were in fact being tailed by other ‘supervised’ Tesla cars (with drivers present) …so any claims of achieving true unsupervised autonomy are disingenuous at best.
—Laurie Winkless, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Feliciano's white pickup was fresh from the repair shop after protesters tailed and rammed him on a busy street in Chicago amidst the controversial Operation Midway Blitz, during which Border Patrol agents fired tear gas at protesters after being confronted by angry crowds.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
El Toro tailed 30-17 going into the fourth quarter.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
In May, Fremont police and CHP officers reportedly formed a convoy around an Omni Logistics shipment headed to San Jose after noticing the truck was being tailed by a suspicious vehicle authorities had previously been surveilling as part of the investigation.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2025
Unwisely agreeing to go for a spin, Tony finds they’re soon tailed by an ominous black SUV.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tailed
Verb
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But Niklas was the only one who chased Nordic combined initially.—
Dana ONeil,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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The warrant declaration states that footage from a Ring camera captured images of Rebecca Marodi fleeing their home as her wife chased her.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He’s then pursued by a Terminator sent from the future, while a soldier follows the cyborg in an attempt to protect Lee and his family.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Suspecting the driver was drunk or on drugs, Blanchette had pursued the speeding car from Route 2A in Montville onto I-395 and, now, Route 2.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The top three catches for each age category were tracked on a large whiteboard for all to see.—
Amy Stark Shireman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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The killings are Kansas City’s 12th and 13th homicides of the year, according to data tracked by The Star.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Wright cited statistics showing that natural gas -- long the nation's leading source of electricity -- provided 43% of electric power at peak generation during the storm, followed by coal at 24% and nuclear at 15%.—
MATTHEW DALY,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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The chaos followed a memorial for Good and Pretti, which was hosted exactly one month from the date of Good's death at Powderhorn Park, roughly a 15-minute drive from the federal building.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In 2011, the actress had to be escorted offstage after slurring her words and rambling during a speech at an event honoring former Defense Secretary Robert Gates.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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Meetings since his death have continued to open with a police statement about the circumstances under which people can be arrested and escorted out.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tailed. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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