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
Vast numbers of gregarious Central Texas grackles — the separate common and great-tailed species — assemble by the thousands at night, especially during the winter.
—
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
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
Of course, most evenings here will either be topped or tailed by a visit to a Dublin pub, but for everything in between, these are our favorite Dublin restaurants across the city right now to grab an indulgent bite to eat.
—Aoife O'Riordain, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2025
El Toro tailed 30-17 going into the fourth quarter.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
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
Of course, most evenings here will either be topped or tailed by a visit to a Dublin pub, but for everything in between, these are our favorite Dublin restaurants across the city right now to grab an indulgent bite to eat.
—Aoife O'Riordain, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2025
El Toro tailed 30-17 going into the fourth quarter.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tailed
Verb
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Isaiah Evans slipped trying to curl to the rim and Solo Ball scooped up the ball, racing toward the basket, chased by the likely player of the year, Cam Boozer.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
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Without hesitation, Gunner flew down the stairs to the yard and chased after the bunny.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The family would eventually move to Tennessee full-time as the teen pursued a career in music.—
Alexandra Schonfeld,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The former owners of the property, Alterra Worldwide and real estate executives Tony Bader and Mike Sarimsakci, pursued conventional financing and other funding options for development.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At the end of Ellroy’s novel, Dieterling is tracked down by LAPD lieutenant Ed Exley—the same cop who, earlier in the book, murdered three innocent Black suspects during a raid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Nok has been documenting his journey on social media, building an audience of nearly one million across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and his movements are being live-tracked via the travel app Polarsteps.—
Salma Arafa,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rocker got off to a rocky start in the first inning after a ball slipped past the glove of Josh Jung, followed by a wild pitch, which put a runner in scoring position with only one out, before back-to-back singles by Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart netted the Reds their first two runs of the game.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Apr. 2026
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UConn started the game 7-for-13 from the field and went up by nine with a dunk from Reed that followed the first of two 3-pointers from Jayden Ross.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Under the operation, US warships escorted convoys through the Gulf, while allied navies cleared mines, patrolled shipping lanes, and monitored traffic.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
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After a seamless check-in process with the front-desk staffers stationed in the stylish Library Lounge, I was escorted to my room, which had north- and west-facing windows.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tailed. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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