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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tailed
The activity is not unlike the way US and Soviet submarines tailed one another in the Cold War, but instead of running silent and running deep, highly reflective satellites easily stand out against the inky blackness of space.
—
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Meanwhile, Dean Estabrook tailed the bus full of his Yuba City High School choir students from his personal car, a two-vehicle caravan en route to a choral exchange in the Bay Area.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Details about the underlying allegation remain murky, but the department sources familiar with the matter said the LAPD’s secretive Special Operations Division tailed officers who were under investigation.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
One rider, identified as Richard Collins, the leader of the group, told Fox 5 Atlanta the black SUV tailed the group and laid down the horn.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
The hit was outsourced to a hulking Estonian assassin, Imre (the Butcher) Arakas, who arrived at Dublin Airport on April 3, 2017, and was immediately tailed by officers from the An Garda Síochána’s Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, who arrested him the next day.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
Players who find themselves being tailed tend to take it first as a badge of honor.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2026
Plan was to be bushy tailed & beauty rested, as I was meant to head straight to glam for a slot with our beloved Drew Barrymore upon landing.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
Plan was to be bushy tailed & beauty rested [sic], as I was meant to head straight to glam for a slot with our beloved @DrewBarrymore, upon landing.
—Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 10 Apr. 2026
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Meanwhile, Dean Estabrook tailed the bus full of his Yuba City High School choir students from his personal car, a two-vehicle caravan en route to a choral exchange in the Bay Area.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Details about the underlying allegation remain murky, but the department sources familiar with the matter said the LAPD’s secretive Special Operations Division tailed officers who were under investigation.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
One rider, identified as Richard Collins, the leader of the group, told Fox 5 Atlanta the black SUV tailed the group and laid down the horn.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
The hit was outsourced to a hulking Estonian assassin, Imre (the Butcher) Arakas, who arrived at Dublin Airport on April 3, 2017, and was immediately tailed by officers from the An Garda Síochána’s Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, who arrested him the next day.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
Players who find themselves being tailed tend to take it first as a badge of honor.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2026
Plan was to be bushy tailed & beauty rested, as I was meant to head straight to glam for a slot with our beloved Drew Barrymore upon landing.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
Plan was to be bushy tailed & beauty rested [sic], as I was meant to head straight to glam for a slot with our beloved @DrewBarrymore, upon landing.
—Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tailed
Verb
-
Awad and Kaziha were killed while they were chased by the gunmen, the Islamic center said.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
-
According to the criminal complaint, the confrontation began when Castro and other ICE agents chased a man who was delivering food for DoorDash back to his house.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The real test is whether those investments are pursued as isolated initiatives or as parts of one coherent strategy for managing growth in volatility while earning customer trust.—
Marcus Balzereit,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
The lifeguard pursued me in a gray metal dinghy with a bullhorn, ordering me out of the water and yanking me up over the side of his boat.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The detectives tracked down Cotten at a home on Lower Colfax Road in Grass Valley.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
20 May 2026
-
The numbers are meant to come from each company’s own operating baseline, then be tracked consistently over time.—
Satish Patel,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Rojas followed with a single on a hit-and-run to send Rizzo to third, and then sophomore Ander Elorriaga executed a perfect squeeze bunt on a 2-2 delivery by Aiden Carey to score Rizzo.—
Gary Curreri,
Sun Sentinel,
17 May 2026
-
Salah’s comments followed a limp 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa on Friday that increased criticism of Slot and questions about his future in the job.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
After the funeral Mass, a long police motorcade escorted Arnold to Cedar Knoll Cemetery in Taunton, where bagpipes played, veterans saluted, and American flags were handed out to mourners lining the procession.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
20 May 2026
-
Occupants were seen wearing masks on the deck as the boat was escorted through the port by a tug boat and a Dutch police boat.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tailed. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
