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   trail

   /treɪl/

   noun

   • 1. a mark or a series of signs or objects left behind by the passage of someone or something: "a trail of blood on the grass" Similar seriesstreamstringlinechainrowsuccessiontraintrainchainseriessequenceaftermath
   • ▪ a track, scent, or other indication used in following someone or hunting an animal: "police followed his trail to Dorset" Similar trackspoorpathscenttracesmarkssignsprintsimprintsimpressionsfootprintsfootmarksfootsteps
   • 2. a long thin part or line stretching behind or hanging down from something: "smoke trails" Similar waketailstreamslipstreamlinerowtrainfilerankcolumnprocessionstringchainarraygroupfollowingentourageconvoyqueue
   • 3. a beaten path through the countryside: "country parks with nature trails" Similar pathbeaten pathpathwaywayfootpathtrackcourseroadroute
   • ▪ a route followed for a particular purpose: "the hotel is well off the tourist trail" Similar pathbeaten pathpathwaywayfootpathtrackcourseroadroute
   • ▪ a downhill ski run or cross-country ski route: North American "this steep trail is as firm as off-piste spring snow"
   • 4. a trailer for a film or broadcast: "a recent television trail for ‘The Bill’"
   • 5. the rear end of a gun carriage, resting or sliding on the ground when the gun is unlimbered.

   verb

   • 1. draw or be drawn along behind someone or something: "Alex trailed a hand through the clear water" Similar dragsweepbe drawndrawstreamdanglehang (down)towdrooparchaic:depend
   • ▪ (typically of a plant) grow or hang over the edge of something or along the ground: "the roses grew wild, their stems trailing over the banks" Similar creepcrawlslideslinkslither
   • 2. walk or move slowly or wearily: "he baulked at the idea of trailing around the shops" Similar trudgeploddrag oneselfwanderamblemeanderdriftdawdlestraggleloiterlingerlagfall behindtake one's timenot keep upbring up the reartraikinformal:tag along behind
   • ▪ (of the voice or a speaker) fade gradually before stopping: "her voice trailed away" Similar fadedwindlediminishlessenwaneebbsubsideweakenpeter outmelt awayfizzle outtaper offtail offgrow faintgrow dimevaporatedisappearvanishdiecome to nothingcome to a haltcome to an endrun out
   • 3. follow (a person or animal) by using marks or scent left behind: "Sam suspected they were trailing him" Similar followpursuetracktraceshadowstalkdoghoundspoorhunt (down)coursekeep an eye onkeep in sightrun to earthrun to groundrun downinformal:tailkeep tabs onkeep a tab on
   • 4. be losing to an opponent in a game or contest: "the defending champions were trailing 10—5 at half-time" Similar losebe downbe behindlag behindfall behinddrop behind
   • 5. give advance publicity to (a film, broadcast, or proposal): "the bank's plans have been extensively trailed" Similar advertisepublicizeannounceproclaimpreviewshow excerpts ofcall attention toinformal:hype
   • 6. apply (slip) through a nozzle or spout to decorate ceramic ware.

   Word Origin Middle 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.

   Scrabble Points: 5

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