trailed; trailing; trails
1
a
: to hang down so as to drag along or sweep the ground
b
: to extend over a surface in a loose or straggling manner
a vine that trails over the ground
c
: to grow to such length as to droop over toward the ground
trailing branches of a weeping birch
2
3
: to move, flow, or extend slowly in thin streams
smoke trailing from chimneys
4
5
: to follow a trail : track game
2
a
: to drag (something, such as a limb or the body) heavily or wearily
b
: to carry or bring along as an addition, burden, or encumbrance
c
: to draw along in one's wake
1
a(1)
: a track made by passage especially through a wilderness
(2)
: a marked or established path or route especially through a forest or mountainous region
c
: a course followed or to be followed
hit the campaign trail
2
a
: something that follows or moves along as if being drawn along : train
a trail of admirers
b
: a chain of consequences : aftermath
the … movement left a trail of bitterness and prejudice behind it—
Paul Blanshard
Paul Blanshard
c(1)
: the streak produced by a meteor
(2)
: a continuous line produced photographically by permitting the image of a celestial body (such as a star) to move over the plate
Synonyms
Examples of trail in a Sentence
Verb
The little girl went to her room, trailing her teddy bear behind her.
The dog's leash was trailing along the ground.
The little girl's teddy bear trailed behind her.
He trailed us as we worked our way up the mountain.
The President is trailing in the polls as the election approaches.
We were trailing by 3 runs at the end of the 6th inning.
Our team trailed their team at the end of the 6th inning.
Noun
Stay on the trail if we get separated.
The car left a trail of smoke as it sped off.
following the trail to success
Recent Examples on the WebHouston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
The Rockies joined the 1910 St. Louis Browns as the only clubs of the modern era (since 1900) to trail in their first 24 games.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2024
Sunak, who is trailing in the polls ahead of an election expected this fall, is staking his Conservative Party's reelection campaign on this plan, despite several legal challenges from top British and European courts.
—Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024
Her hair is pulled up and back into a perky ponytail at the crown of her head, and right atop said ponytail is a pretty white bow with long ribbons trailing down to her shoulders.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 22 Apr. 2024
Arkansas faced its biggest deficit of the season by trailing 7-0 in the top of the fourth before mounting a big comeback.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 17 Apr. 2024
One sequence had a 40-foot-long dinosaur skeleton trailing her down the thrust stage that extended in an L-shape through the audience.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
The Marlins trailed Atlanta 5-1 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, with the team’s lone run to that point coming on a Bryan De La Cruz solo home run in the second.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
With the win, Wrexham trails Stockport by four points for the League Two title, though the league leader has played one game fewer.
—Jacob Lev, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2024
State of play —BASS BREAK-IN: An intruder forced his way into Getty House, the Windsor Square residence of Mayor Karen Bass, over the weekend, smashing a glass door, cutting himself and leaving a trail of blood inside, according to prosecutors.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
This high-desert wilderness (read: no marked trails) is essentially the geologic record of a prehistoric coastal swamp where dinosaurs once roamed.
—Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2024
Every outing is accompanied by trail notes, maps and a recommendation for post-hike hydration.
—Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2024
The paved connection would be about 50 feet long and provide access to the trail directly from Dickinson Street, near 64th Street − about three blocks south of I-94.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2024
Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff Sitting on 200 acres of land north of downtown Flagstaff, the Museum of Northern Arizona includes gardens, trails, a library and numerous historic buildings.
—The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2024
The coastal trail is an easy hike, according to AllTrails.com, which categorizes and provides hiking instructions for trails nationwide, and provides views of arched rocks over the ocean.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2024
Walkers, runners and cyclists are asked to observe detour signs on trails and provide adequate distance between themselves and construction work.
—Nwa Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 24 Apr. 2024
Verb
The Lakers now trail Denver 3-0 in the best-of-seven playoff series — no team in NBA history has ever come back from that deficit.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
The Rockies joined the 1910 St. Louis Browns as the only clubs of the modern era (since 1900) to trail in their first 24 games.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2024
Sunak, who is trailing in the polls ahead of an election expected this fall, is staking his Conservative Party's reelection campaign on this plan, despite several legal challenges from top British and European courts.
—Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024
Her hair is pulled up and back into a perky ponytail at the crown of her head, and right atop said ponytail is a pretty white bow with long ribbons trailing down to her shoulders.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 22 Apr. 2024
Arkansas faced its biggest deficit of the season by trailing 7-0 in the top of the fourth before mounting a big comeback.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 17 Apr. 2024
One sequence had a 40-foot-long dinosaur skeleton trailing her down the thrust stage that extended in an L-shape through the audience.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
The Marlins trailed Atlanta 5-1 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, with the team’s lone run to that point coming on a Bryan De La Cruz solo home run in the second.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
With the win, Wrexham trails Stockport by four points for the League Two title, though the league leader has played one game fewer.
—Jacob Lev, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Noun
Severe weather left a trail of destruction in the Heartland on Friday with 83 reports of tornadoes across five states.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2024
State of play —BASS BREAK-IN: An intruder forced his way into Getty House, the Windsor Square residence of Mayor Karen Bass, over the weekend, smashing a glass door, cutting himself and leaving a trail of blood inside, according to prosecutors.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
This high-desert wilderness (read: no marked trails) is essentially the geologic record of a prehistoric coastal swamp where dinosaurs once roamed.
—Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2024
Every outing is accompanied by trail notes, maps and a recommendation for post-hike hydration.
—Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2024
The paved connection would be about 50 feet long and provide access to the trail directly from Dickinson Street, near 64th Street − about three blocks south of I-94.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2024
Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff Sitting on 200 acres of land north of downtown Flagstaff, the Museum of Northern Arizona includes gardens, trails, a library and numerous historic buildings.
—The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2024
The coastal trail is an easy hike, according to AllTrails.com, which categorizes and provides hiking instructions for trails nationwide, and provides views of arched rocks over the ocean.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2024
Walkers, runners and cyclists are asked to observe detour signs on trails and provide adequate distance between themselves and construction work.
—Nwa Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 24 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near trail
Cite this Entry
“Trail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trail. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
trail
1 of 2 verb1
: to drag or draw along behind
2
: to lag behind
3
4
: to hang down or rest on or creep over the ground
trailing vines
a trailing skirt
5
: to form a trail
smoke trailed from the chimney
6
: to become less and less : dwindle
the voice trailed off
trail
2 of 2 noun1
: something that trails or is trailed
2
: a trace or mark left by something that has passed or been drawn along
3
a
: a track made by passage : a beaten path
b
: a path marked to show a route (as through a forest)
hiking trails
c
: an established course or routine
hit the campaign trail
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