Pronunciation: /teɪl/
noun the rear part of an animal's body, extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
A1 The dog wagged its tail happily.
A2 The cat chased its tail in circles.
B1 The fox uses its tail for balance while running.
B2 The peacock proudly displayed its colorful tail feathers.
C1 The mermaid's tail shimmered in the sunlight as she swam gracefully.
C2 The airplane's tail section houses the engines and stabilizers.
verb to follow or observe someone closely
A1 The dog likes to tail behind its owner on walks.
A2 She decided to tail the suspect to gather more information.
B1 The detective was able to tail the criminal without being noticed.
B2 The spy was trained to tail targets without raising suspicion.
C1 The journalist managed to tail the politician for weeks to uncover a scandal.
C2 The undercover agent successfully tailed the international criminal to their hideout.
adjective relating to or situated at the end or rear; last in a series
A1 The cat has a long tail.
A2 She tied a ribbon around her ponytail.
B1 The dog wagged its tail in excitement.
B2 The peacock displayed its colorful tail feathers.
C1 The comet's tail stretched across the night sky.
C2 The detective followed the suspect's trail by the tail end of his coat.
formal The fox's tail is long and bushy.
informal Her dog wags its tail whenever she comes home.
slang I'm gonna tail that guy and see where he goes.
figurative The company is struggling financially and is in danger of going belly up with its tail between its legs.
tailed
tails
tailer
tailist
tail
will tail
has tailed
is tailing
tail
tail
to tail
tailing
tailed