trailing
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
The pursuit by following tracks or marks they left behind.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
traylingSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɹeɪlɪŋ
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind
Fabric or other material that trails.
adjective
That follows behind; especially, that is attached and pulled behind.
rail transportof points and crossovers
That converge in the direction of travel.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind
Used this way, trailing is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use trailing
- “The police were trailing the suspects for several hours.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Someone who takes more time than necessary.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Low-growing evergreen shrub of eastern North America with leathery leaves and clusters of fragrant pink or white flowers.
The rear edge of an airfoil.
Trailing plant having crowded clusters of 3 brilliant deep pink flowers resembling a single flower blooming near the ground.
Trailing plant having crowded clusters of 3 brilliant deep pink flowers resembling a single flower blooming near the ground.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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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.