How to Use trail in a Sentence

trail

1 of 2 verb
  • The dog's leash was trailing along the ground.
  • He trailed us as we worked our way up the mountain.
  • Our team trailed their team at the end of the 6th inning.
  • The little girl's teddy bear trailed behind her.
  • The little girl went to her room, trailing her teddy bear behind her.
  • The President is trailing in the polls as the election approaches.
  • We were trailing by 3 runs at the end of the 6th inning.
  • But the home team didn’t trail long.
    — Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The Reds led three times and trailed twice.
    — CBS News, 27 June 2026
  • Keller trailed 24-20 at the break.
    — Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2025
  • The Nets trailed by as many as 39 points.
    — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
  • For the first time at the Olympics, Kim trailed.
    — Sean Gregory, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Be sure to keep any trailing blooms and vines away from the flames.
    — Marisa Donnelly, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2026
  • The Knicks never trailed again.
    — Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
  • The Phillies trailed the Dodgers, 3-2.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 5 June 2026
  • Even herds that roam free on the open range are microchipped and trailed by drones.
    — Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The pieces trailing off the bodice as her skirt, lined with green fur, are not cute.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Fine foliage and a trailing habit add to this plant’s charm.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 May 2026
  • But both times the Wild were trailing by three goals at the time.
    — Michael Russo, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The Chiefs trailed by 10 points and faced a third-and-long play.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
  • The Royals trail the Mariners by two games.
    — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Royal got off to a solid start in set one but trailed for most of set two.
    — Justin Vigil Zuniga, Daily News, 10 May 2026
  • Jin Yang also shot a 68 to trail by one shot.
    — ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Central trailed 20-8 at the time.
    — Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The Sox went to the ninth trailing 2-0.
    — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
  • But his play trailed off before finding a home with Zadorov.
    — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 9 May 2026
  • At that point, Chicago was trailing by one.
    — Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The Jayhawks had trailed by six points with four minutes to play.
    — Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2026
  • For those doing math at home, Kentucky trails by one points.
    — Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
  • In 2014, the team never trailed.
    — Stephen Whyno, Twin Cities, 21 Feb. 2026

trail

2 of 2 noun
  • The car left a trail of smoke as it sped off.
  • Stay on the trail if we get separated.
  • Don’t go off-trail or jump fences.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2026
  • How about some trail-to-town pants?
    — Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 6 Feb. 2026
  • There's lots of bike and heights trails.
    — Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Or hit a scenic, low-crowd trail.
    — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Five wolves soon showed up on her trail.
    — Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Most bites come from the edges of trails.
    — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The trail is less than a mile in length.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Much of the trail is strewn with loose rocks.
    — John Meyer, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
  • The trail traces the canyon rim, and there are no guardrails.
    — Taryn Shorr-McKee, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Pick one up to learn more about the ranch and its trails.
    — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
  • The whole trail is just over 34 miles long.
    — Stacey Lastoe, Travel + Leisure, 19 Sep. 2025
  • There are scenic pull-offs, trails and even a small ski area.
    — Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 19 Mar. 2026
  • These are the trails of a suspect.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Witt blazed a trail on the basepaths.
    — Jaylon Thompson may 9, Kansas City Star, 10 May 2026
  • Look for the trail these ants follow.
    — Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 13 Mar. 2026
  • There are miles and miles of hiking trails.
    — Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 7 June 2026
  • Her dog was later found safe near the trail.
    — Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Stay alert and avoid headphones on trails.
    — Nic Uff, ABC News, 8 June 2026
  • On hikes, try to walk in the center of trails.
    — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Others were found on dry vines and logs along trails.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Stay on clear trails and avoid tall grasses and brush.
    — Justin Laube, EverydayHealth.com, 1 June 2026
  • There’s no trails, there’s no climbing routes.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
  • The paved trail twists up the slope in a series of curves.
    — Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • But there is one part of the trail that is not her favorite.
    — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Cruise city streets or beach paths or light off-road trails… the choice is yours.
    — New Atlas, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Dior isn’t the only skin-care brand to be on the laser trail.
    — Kathleen Baird-Murray, Vogue, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Ong dipped her hand into one of cold, clear pools along the trail.
    — Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
  • Wildlife can often be found around the trail so keep your eyes peeled.
    — Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: