as in pursuit
the act of going after or in the tracks of another
the detectives' trailing of the suspect led them to the stolen merchandise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in chasing
to go after or on the track of
we trailed our friend into the woods, inadvertently spoiling his plans for a solitary hike
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of trailing
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
27 June 2026
Over a century later, the Himalayan blackberry has spread far beyond the modest backyard bounds its importers envisioned, opting instead to take over indiscriminately and displace the native trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus) in the process.
—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
25 June 2026
Austria was in striking distance trailing by one goal until the final moments, when Messi scored his second goal.
—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 June 2026
Positive trailing returns outside of tech are not a bad thing!
—
Josh Brown,sean Russo,
CNBC,
15 June 2026
The combination has left New York trailing by as many as nine points.
—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
9 June 2026
The bigger issue is that Jason Adam has pitched with a lead once in his past five appearances and Jeremiah Estrada has gone six appearances pitching in either a tie game or with the Padres trailing.
—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
Training plants to stay off the ground instead of trailing prevents many common fungal diseases, fruit spots, and rots.
—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 May 2026
Before 2014, bull kelp—a whip-like kelp with bulbous air bladders and trailing blades —stretched across Northern California’s coastline in dense tangles.
—
Tatjana Baleta,
Time,
28 May 2026
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
4 July 2026
Both teams are coming off nail-biting victories, with Canada scoring in injury time to snatch a 1-0 win from South Africa, and Morocco beating the Netherlands on penalties after trailing 0-1 in the game until the 90th minute.
—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
4 July 2026
Some common options for hanging pots include succulents like burro's tail or string of pearls, trailing lantana, and trailing verbena.
—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 July 2026
Dodger fans make noise in West Sacramento Dodgers fans, for the third straight game, packed the stands of Sutter Health Park and most stayed until the final out, even with their team trailing by six runs in the top of the ninth inning.
—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
2 July 2026
Over the past year, the stock has returned about 1%, trailing the XRT’s 10% advance.
—
Alexa Lomonaco,
CNBC,
2 July 2026
According to Jeremy Frank, that’s the fourth-best total in MLB history, tied with Mel Ott (1929) and trailing Jimmie Foxx (1933), Joe DiMaggio (1939) and Lou Gehrig (1930).
—
Levi Weaver,
New York Times,
2 July 2026
That increase lands directly on net operating income, yet a seller's trailing financials show the old, lower number.
—
Tony Julianelle,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
Harper and the Phillies stunned Washington Thursday night after trailing 5-0, with Harper hitting the go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth inning to cap a seven-run rally.
—
Zach Dean Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
26 June 2026
Noun
The graceful trailing stems and showy flowers of climbing hydrangeas (Hydrangea anomala) look beautiful growing on pergolas and fences.
—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
27 June 2026
Over a century later, the Himalayan blackberry has spread far beyond the modest backyard bounds its importers envisioned, opting instead to take over indiscriminately and displace the native trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus) in the process.
—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
25 June 2026
Austria was in striking distance trailing by one goal until the final moments, when Messi scored his second goal.
—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 June 2026
Positive trailing returns outside of tech are not a bad thing!
—
Josh Brown,sean Russo,
CNBC,
15 June 2026
The combination has left New York trailing by as many as nine points.
—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
9 June 2026
The bigger issue is that Jason Adam has pitched with a lead once in his past five appearances and Jeremiah Estrada has gone six appearances pitching in either a tie game or with the Padres trailing.
—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
Training plants to stay off the ground instead of trailing prevents many common fungal diseases, fruit spots, and rots.
—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 May 2026
Before 2014, bull kelp—a whip-like kelp with bulbous air bladders and trailing blades —stretched across Northern California’s coastline in dense tangles.
—
Tatjana Baleta,
Time,
28 May 2026
Verb
The Dodgers’ sails were becalmed for six innings by Padres starter Michael King, leaving them trailing 3-0 in the seventh.
—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
4 July 2026
Both teams are coming off nail-biting victories, with Canada scoring in injury time to snatch a 1-0 win from South Africa, and Morocco beating the Netherlands on penalties after trailing 0-1 in the game until the 90th minute.
—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
4 July 2026
Some common options for hanging pots include succulents like burro's tail or string of pearls, trailing lantana, and trailing verbena.
—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 July 2026
Dodger fans make noise in West Sacramento Dodgers fans, for the third straight game, packed the stands of Sutter Health Park and most stayed until the final out, even with their team trailing by six runs in the top of the ninth inning.
—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
2 July 2026
Over the past year, the stock has returned about 1%, trailing the XRT’s 10% advance.
—
Alexa Lomonaco,
CNBC,
2 July 2026
According to Jeremy Frank, that’s the fourth-best total in MLB history, tied with Mel Ott (1929) and trailing Jimmie Foxx (1933), Joe DiMaggio (1939) and Lou Gehrig (1930).
—
Levi Weaver,
New York Times,
2 July 2026
That increase lands directly on net operating income, yet a seller's trailing financials show the old, lower number.
—
Tony Julianelle,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
Harper and the Phillies stunned Washington Thursday night after trailing 5-0, with Harper hitting the go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth inning to cap a seven-run rally.
—
Zach Dean Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trailing
Noun
-
Yet The Bear has always been equally attuned to the tension at the heart of that pursuit.
-
The pursuit lasted around five minutes before the suspect successfully evaded officers.
Verb
-
The lightweight, toner-meets-serum formula also layers in niacinamide and adenosine for anyone chasing a bouncy, healthy glow.
-
To survive and grow, more wealth management firms are chasing the surging ranks of the extremely wealthy and their more profitable accounts.
Noun
-
An index tracking semiconductor stocks has surged almost 88% since March, its best quarterly performance on record, according to FactSet data that goes back until to 1994.
-
To estimate how many parasitoid wasp species in the Costa Rican national park have evaded detection, the researchers took cues from infectious disease tracking.
Verb
-
While future modeling gigs are up in the air, the brothers said that their priority is pursuing music.
-
Rather than pursuing one clear objective, Mars has the strength, energy and mental capacity to entertain several ideas, conversations and conflicts simultaneously when transiting this Air sign.
Noun
-
The funds would come from the Commodity Credit Corporation, a funding initiative through the federal agency, and would go toward tracing, surveying and trapping response programs for the next three years.
-
Other response efforts have scaled up significantly since the start of the outbreak, officials said, but contact tracing continues to lag.
Verb
-
The data points to the following leading causes of death in the 1900s.
-
Matt Miller, the ESPN NFL Draft analyst who shared last month on social media that his left arm was amputated following an automobile accident in southern Missouri, reportedly is being investigated by the state attorney general.
Noun
-
Unlike other hard metals, tungsten is largely nontoxic, but the byproducts from mining it—called tailings—contain other harmful metals including arsenic, copper, zinc and lead and can leach into the environment.
-
Initial environmental analytics work will focus on water quality, particulate emissions, geotechnical stability, tailings performance, biodiversity indicators and carbon intensity per metric ton produced.
Verb
-
Federal rules require airlines to provide help to passengers with disabilities, including escorting them through airports and assisting during delays or cancellations.
-
The immigration officer escorting him allowed the two to hug.
Cite this Entry
“Trailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trailing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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