trail
verb/treɪl/
/treɪl/
Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they trail | /treɪl/ /treɪl/ |
| he / she / it trails | /treɪlz/ /treɪlz/ |
| past simple trailed | /treɪld/ /treɪld/ |
| past participle trailed | /treɪld/ /treɪld/ |
| -ing form trailing | /ˈtreɪlɪŋ/ /ˈtreɪlɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to pull something behind somebody/something, usually along the ground; to be pulled along in this way
- trail something A jeep trailing a cloud of dust was speeding in my direction.
- I trailed my hand in the water as the boat moved along.
- (+ adv./prep.) The bride's dress trailed behind her.
Extra Examples- The little boy trailed a dirty old blanket behind him.
- Don't let the blanket trail on the ground.
- Her scarf was trailing in the mud.
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. to walk slowly because you are tired or bored, especially behind somebody else; to go from one place to another without enthusiasm
- The kids trailed around after us while we shopped for clothes.
Extra Examples- I trailed wearily after the others.
- The last walkers came trailing down the hill.
- We walked home in the rain, with the kids trailing along behind.
- They spent their lives trailing around the country.
- I spent months trailing from one audition to the next.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- slowly
- wearily
- closely (behind)
- …
- after
- around
- round
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] (used especially in the progressive tenses) to be losing a game or other contest
- United were trailing 2–0 at half-time.
- trail by something We were trailing by five points.
- trail in something This country is still trailing badly in scientific research.
- trail somebody/something The Conservatives are trailing Labour in the opinion polls.
Extra Examples- Liverpool are now trailing badly in the league.
- They were trailing by 12 points until the last few minutes of the game.
- Lazio were trailing to a 47th-minute goal by Roma.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- badly
- slightly
- by
- [transitive] trail somebody/something to follow somebody/something by looking for signs that show you where they have been
- The police trailed Dale for days.
- They spent three hours trailing a deer through the woods.
- Sharks were trailing the ship.
- [intransitive] to grow or hang downwards over something or along the ground; to move downwards over something
- trailing plants
- He had tears trailing down his cheeks.
- [transitive] trail something to advertise a film, TV programme, etc. in advance
- It was trailed heavily as the Big Film of the New Year.
Word OriginMiddle English (as a verb): from Old French traillier ‘to tow’, or Middle Low German treilen ‘haul a boat’, based on Latin tragula ‘dragnet’, from trahere ‘to pull’. Compare with trawl. The noun originally denoted the train of a robe, later generalized to denote something trailing.
Check pronunciation:
trail