(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a rough path across open country or through forests.
He was following a broad ~ through the trees.
= track
N-COUNT
2.
A ~ is a route along a series of paths or roads, often one that has been planned and marked out for a particular purpose.
...a large area of woodland with hiking and walking ~s.
N-COUNT
3.
A ~ is a series of marks or other signs of movement or other activities left by someone or something.
Everywhere in the house was a sticky ~ of orange juice...
N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n
4.
If you ~ someone or something, you follow them secretly, often by finding the marks or signs that they have left.
Two detectives were ~ing him...
I ~ed her to a shop in Kensington.
= follow
VERB: V n, V n prep/adv
5.
You can refer to all the places that a politician visits in the period before an election as their campaign ~.
During a recent speech on the campaign ~, he was interrupted by hecklers.
N-COUNT: n N
6.
If you ~ something or it ~s, it hangs down loosely behind you as you move along.
She came down the stairs slowly, ~ing the coat behind her...
He let his fingers ~ in the water.
VERB: V n, V prep
7.
If someone ~s somewhere, they move there slowly, without any energy or enthusiasm, often following someone else.
He ~ed through the wet Manhattan streets...
VERB: V adv/prep
8.
If a person or team in a sports match or other contest is ~ing, they have a lower score than their opponents.
He scored again, leaving Dartford ~ing 3-0 at the break...
The polls showed the Tories ~ing behind the Government by 17 per cent.
VERB: usu cont, V amount, V behind n
9.
If you are on the ~ of a person or thing, you are trying hard to find them or find out about them.
The police were hot on his ~...
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR
10.
to blaze a ~: see blaze
see also nature ~ , paper ~