- trail
- [[t]tre͟ɪl[/t]]
♦♦♦trails, trailing, trailed1) N-COUNT A trail is a rough path across open country or through forests.
He was following a broad trail through the trees.
Syn:2) N-COUNT A trail 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 trails.
3) N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n A trail 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 trail of orange juice...
He left a trail of clues at the scenes of his crimes...
The typhoon has left a trail of death and destruction across much of central Japan.
4) VERB If you trail someone or something, you follow them secretly, often by finding the marks or signs that they have left.[V n] Two detectives were trailing him...
[V n prep/adv] I trailed her to a shop in Kensington.
Syn:5) N-COUNT: n N You can refer to all the places that a politician visits in the period before an election as their campaign trail.During a recent speech on the campaign trail, he was interrupted by hecklers.
...at the end of a hard day on the election trail.
6) V-ERG If you trail something or it trails, it hangs down loosely behind you as you move along.[V n] She came down the stairs slowly, trailing the coat behind her...
[V prep] He let his fingers trail in the water.
Syn:7) VERB If someone trails somewhere, they move there slowly, without any energy or enthusiasm, often following someone else.[V adv/prep] He trailed through the wet Manhattan streets...
[V adv/prep] I spent a long afternoon trailing behind him.
8) VERB: usu cont If a person or team in a sports match or other contest is trailing, they have a lower score than their opponents.[V amount] He scored again, leaving Dartford trailing 2-0 at the break...
[V behind n] The polls showed the Tories trailing behind the Government by 17 per cent.
9) PHRASE: usu v-link PHR If you are on the trail of a person or thing, you are trying hard to find them or find out about them.The police were hot on his trail...
There was a newspaper on the trail of the story.
Syn:on the track of10) → See also , paper trailPhrasal Verbs:
English dictionary. 2008.
