I. ˈtrāl, esp before pause or consonant -āəl verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English trailen, from Middle French trailler to tow, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin tragulare, from Latin tragula dragnet, sledge; probably akin to Latin trahere to pull, draw, drag — more at draw
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to hang down so as to drag along a surface : sweep the ground
letting the flag trail in the dust
my silken outer garment trailed over withered leaves — Amy Lowell
his hand hit the wall and trailed down it as he felt — Raymond Chandler
b. : to hang so as to touch or pile up on a surface
the tablecloth trails on the floor
c. : to hang or extend over a surface loosely or stragglingly
no one looks right now with locks trailing over one eye — Country Life
d. : to hang or extend so as to float freely or loosely
would rather stroke faster with their arms and let their legs trail — T.M.McDermott
allowing one of the propellers to trail , thereby reducing the drag on that side of the ship — Manual of Seamanship
e. : to grow to such length as to droop over or rest upon the ground : spread and root extensively : creep 3c — used of a plant
knew where the first arbutus trailed in the spring — Grace Metalious
2.
a. : to walk or proceed draggingly, heavily, or wearily : plod , trudge
trailed along at a snail's pace
trailed dismally round his grounds praising the improvements — Virginia Woolf
b. : to follow unthinkingly as if led or pulled along
his sister trailed along after him — James Hensel
c.
(1) : to lag behind : do poorly in relation to others (as in a contest) : lose
bet on a horse that trailed all the way and finished last
trailing in the election with only 30 percent of the vote
(2) of a harness race driver : to take a position behind the lead horse using him to set the pace and break the force of the wind
d. archaic : to fish by drawing the line along the water from a moving boat : troll
3. : to move, flow, or extend slowly and especially in thin or vaporous streams or spirals : drift
blood trailing over the floor
smoke trailing from chimneys
a thin veil of mist trailed below — John Connell
shadows o'er the landscape trailing — H.W.Longfellow
4.
a. : to extend in an erratic or uneven course or line : straggle
stone walls trail raggedly through the woods — American Guide Series: Vermont
ropes trail in loops and tangles across the slanting deck — Phoenix Flame
b. : to wander (as from course, aim, or original character) so as to become weak, pointless, or ineffectual : dwindle — usually used with off or away
the discussion trailed off into futilities
voice trailing off to a whisper — T.B.Costain
his book rather trails away at the close — Allan Nevins
5. : to follow a trail : track game
spent long days trailing over the desert
can … trail like an Indian — W.P.Webb
6. : to play a card in casino without building or taking
7. : to tour with a trailer carrying camping supplies or providing living accommodations
the art of trailing lies in being away from the trailer as much as possible — New Statesman & Nation
transitive verb
1.
a. : to draw or drag (as a garment) along a surface : allow to sweep the ground : draggle
when women trailed long skirts through the dust — Justina Hill
b. : to hold or carry so as to draw an end or part along a surface : drag
trail a log down a slope
trail a line in fishing
the winning crew trailed their oars in salute
passing the marble table, she trailed her aging fingertips across its mute surface — Harriet La Barre
c. : to drag along by force : hale
they shall not trail me through their streets — John Milton
d. : pull , haul , tow
trail the wagons of an overland train
e. : to carry (as a firearm, pike, or lance) at the position of trail arms
trail arms at a military funeral
2.
a. : to drag heavily or wearily (as a limb or the body)
moved slowly, trailing his wounded foot
b. : to carry or bring along as an addition, burden, or encumbrance
always trails along two or three uninvited friends
a dog trailing a leash
stepped off the train still trailing a little sand — Sybille Bedford
c. : to draw along in one's wake
trailing clouds of glory do we come — William Wordsworth
trailed streamers of gray mist up the valley — Francis Ratcliffe
d. : to draw or stretch out (as an utterance, discussion, or affair) : protract
no point in trailing the business out any longer
3. : to adorn (as pottery) with a trailing pattern or ornament (as of tracery)
4.
a. : to follow upon the scent or trace of : track , hunt
trailed the beast to its lair
had to trail the suspect halfway across the country
b. : to follow in the footsteps of : pursue , shadow
reporters trailing him constantly
not daring to accost him … she had trailed him to the railroad station — D.B.Chidsey
c. : to follow along behind (as a person)
being careful always to trail the queen at the prescribed distance
d. : to play a bowl in lawn bowling so as to strike and carry (the jack) backward
e. : to lag behind (as others in a competition)
always trails his classmates
trailing the league-leading team by two and a half games
trailed the other candidates on the ticket
5. : to urge (livestock) along (as from a summer to a winter range)
herders trailing longhorns up from Texas — R.F.Adams
Synonyms: see follow
•
- trail a pike
- trail one's coat
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from trailen, v.
1.
a. : something that trails or is trailed: as
(1) : a trailing plant
ivy had sent trails down the steep banks — Flora Thompson
(2) : a running ornament representing leaves or tendrils (as in Gothic moldings)
(3) : a trailing arrangement (as of flowers) : spray
wore white roses on the shoulder — a trail , not a bunch — Clemence Dane
(4) : the rear part of a gun carriage that rests on the ground when the piece is unlimbered
(5) : a flattened anterior prolongation of the shell of various brachiopods
b. : trail arms — used in the phrases at the trail and at trail
2.
a. : something that follows or moves along in or as if in a path or wake or as if being drawn along : train
the academic procession in a long trail
a trail of clouds
a trail of admirers
rocket trails
smoke in thin blue trails was coming from the brick chimneys — Calder Willingham
b.
(1) : the transitory luminous streak in the sky produced by the passage of a meteor
(2) : a continuous line produced photographically by permitting the image of a celestial body (as a star) to move over the plate
c. : a chain of consequences : aftermath
the … movement left a trail of bitterness and prejudice behind it — Paul Blanshard
3.
a. : a trace or mark left by something that has passed or been drawn or dragged along : scent , spoor , track
hounds picking up the trail
a trail of blood from the house to the barn
got on the trail of the killer
discovered a rattlesnake trail in the sand — Jack Kerouac
b. : skidding trail
c.
(1) : a track made by passage (as through a wilderness or wild region) : a beaten path
an Indian trail
a deer trail
tortuous mountain trails
wagon trails
the era of the cattle trails
stamping a trail through the deep snow
(2) : a blazed or otherwise marked path through a forest or mountainous region
woodland trails
the state provides a 300-mile trail for those enjoying walking trips
(3) : a road or highway approximately following an historic trail or series of trails (as of Indians or pioneers)
the Mohawk Trail
d. : slope 1b
e. : a course followed or to be followed : route
a milestone on his educational trail
candidates hitting the campaign trail
4. : the horizontal distance from the point of impact of a bomb dropped from a moving airplane to a vertical line from the airplane at the instant of impact
•
- in trail
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: short for entrail
archaic : entrail 1 ; especially : the intestines of an animal (as a game bird or fish) served as food
the thrush is presented with the trail — Tobias Smollett