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tail

tail

73 8.8
A person who follows someone secretly to watch them
  • noun
  • /teɪl/
translation icon : seguidor
  • All the time, he watched for a tail, either driving or on foot.

So, so today America is in the lead, but but China as a country is is sort of hot on our tails.

Examples

  • We had a tail on him and his mule for six months, but we couldn't make the plant.

  • Secret Service Special Agent Andrea Peacock is on the tail of Matt Cox and Rebecca Hawk, two of the most wanted financial fugitives.

  • I know the cops are on our tail.

  • You were frightened, and it may be that the person who struck you was on your tail again.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Guys, we've got a tail.

  • He set up a meeting, but we got to get the army off our tail.

  • Half the German army's on our tail, and you want me to go to Berlin?

  • "He's been on her tail too long for it to be coincidence."

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The detective kept a close tail on the suspect's movements throughout the investigation.

  • After several weeks of surveillance, we discovered that the tail was working for a rival agency.

Synonyms

detective
vstail
2.7

A police officer who investigates crimes and finds out what happened

is narrower, used for paid secret following rather than broad investigation
spy
vstail
623 2.9

A person who secretly collects information for a government or company

focuses specifically on paid secret following and reporting of movements
shadow
vstail
117 6.6

A person who follows someone closely, often to learn from them

focuses on secret paid following rather than companionship or company
snoop
vstail
26 7.4

A person who secretly looks for other people's private information

is a hired watcher focused on following and reporting physical movements
tracer
vstail
8 6.8

A person who finds missing people or stolen goods

focuses on continuous secret following and reporting of movements
gumshoe
vstail
  • Archaic
5 8.4

A detective who works quietly and follows people to find facts

is usually a hired watcher who concentrates on secretly following movements
shadower
vstail
8.9

A person who follows someone secretly and tells others what they do

has identical meaning and is often used in formal intelligence contexts

Idioms

17 7.9

To follow someone closely and keep bothering them

1 8.4

A small, unimportant part that controls the whole thing

A very short time that means something will happen soon

1 7.5

To keep doing the same task without getting anywhere

To feel very successful and have control of your life

1 8.8

Beat someone by a lot

7.7

To waste time on busy work and make no progress

Compounds

13 3.5

The last part of something, especially a period or event

11 8.5

A tall marsh plant with a brown sausage-shaped seed head and long flat leaves used for making mats and seats

7 3.3

The tail meat of a lobster that people eat

4 2.4

A feather that grows on a bird's tail

tail rotor
  • Specialized
4 6.8

A small spinning blade at the tail of a helicopter that keeps it from spinning

long tail
  • Specialized
2 4.9

A market where many rare items, each sold in small numbers, together make a large part of sales

2 3.3

A tail that is long and helps an animal or kite keep balance

1 2.8

A tail that curves into a small spiral

1 3.7

A part that sticks out at the back of something like an animal's rear

1 1.0

A tail moving from side to side to show happiness or excitement

tail fin
  • Archaic
1 6.4

A decorative metal piece on a car's rear that looks like a small wing

tail fin
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A vertical surface at the plane's tail that helps keep it steady in flight

vertical tail
  • Specialized
1 6.0

The upright fin on a plane's tail that keeps it pointed straight

1 3.0

A deer with white fur under its tail

A small brown and white moth whose caterpillars eat the leaves of fruit and shade trees

brush-tail porcupine
  • Specialized
9.9

A large animal with sharp spines and a brush of stiff hairs at the end of its tail

A wild pigeon from western North America that is larger than city pigeons

fee tail
  • Archaic
9.9

A way of owning land that passes only to family and cannot be sold

2.1

A strip attached to the end of a kite to keep it steady in the air

9.9

A plant that grows near water with long curved spikes of small white flowers

lizard's-tail family
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of herbs that have a strong smell and live for many years

A long thin white cloud high in the sky that looks like a horse's tail

A small flying insect with a white furry body and a yellow tuft at the tail

horizontal tail
  • Specialized
4.7

A flat surface at the tail of a plane that keeps the nose level and controls up-and-down movement

A tropical American plant with long, hanging stems and bright red flowers

rat-tail file
  • Specialized
9.5

A thin metal tool with a round taper used to smooth small round holes and curves

9.9

A small brown tree shrew from Malaysia with a bare tail fringed by stiff hairs at the tip

piece of tail
  • Offensive
9.9

Someone treated only for sex, not as a real person

3.1

A flat fin at a fish's rear used to push and steer it in water

2.3

A red light at the back of a car that shows it to drivers behind

tail assembly
  • Specialized
7.0

The rear part of a plane that helps it stay steady and turn

tail bone
  • Specialized
3.6

The small bone at the very end of the spine

tail coat
  • Formal
4.5

A formal evening jacket for men with a short front and long tails at the back

9.9

A tropical plant with large bright leaves and a long showy flower spike

9.9

A large brown bird with long, pointed tail feathers that lives in open grasslands

X-tail
  • Specialized
9.8

A tail design for an aircraft with four moving parts in an X shape that help control its direction

How Close

stalker
  • Offensive
119 7.0
tail
73 8.8
follower
24 1.0

Surface Forms

tail singular
tails plural

Etymology

The word tail for a person who follows someone comes from the image of an animal's tail staying at the back, so a 'tail' is someone who follows and reports another person's movements.