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tail

noun · verb

Simple meaning

Any projection that resembles the tail of an animal.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

tayl
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈteɪl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. An object or part of an object resembling a tail in shape, such as the thongs on a cat-o'-nine-tails.

  2. The back, last, lower, or inferior part of anything.

  3. The feathers attached to the pygostyle of a bird.

  4. The time of the last part of something

  5. The latter part of a time period or event, or (collectively) persons or objects represented in this part.

  6. The rear structure of an aircraft, the empennage.

verb

  1. To follow or hang to, like a tail; to be attached closely to, as that which can not be evaded.

  2. transitive

    To follow and observe surreptitiously.

  3. To pull or draw by the tail.

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More ways to use tail

  • “The dog wagged its tail happily when its owner came home.”

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to follow or hang to or like a tail

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.