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tagalong

tagalong

2 8.2
A person who keeps following others and annoys them
  • noun
  • /ˈtæɡəˌlɔŋ/
  • Offensive
translation icon : [Ofensivo] persona que se pega
  • So today Edie's merely a sidekick, a tagalong.

Examples

  • Being a tagalong at the party made her feel left out as everyone else was having their own fun.

  • When they went to the amusement park, she felt like just a tagalong who wasn't really invited.

  • I have become the tagalong.

    Blog text (13)
  • And that meant that both of us could go without our pint-sized tagalong.

    Blog text (2)
  • It's like that tagalong kid back in the day who kept hanging out with you and your group, but they had nothing in common with you and, in fact, they think the opposite of you and intentionally start arguments in the group.

    Blog text (12)
  • You've been a tagalong for years, and guess what, sister, I got money says you won't have a clue how to make a life for only you.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • And for me, that is saying I really, really dislike and am suspicious of Mitt Romney and his tagalong fanatic.

    Blog text (26)
  • Here, folks, are the richest grandkids, the notorious Claudettes: Clodia, Claudine, and Claudette, along with their tagalong brother, Claude Crassus Pulcher.

  • In the African-American communities of New Orleans, death and mourning are confronted through an idiosyncratic musical and dancing procession that involves jazz musicians, benevolent society sponsors, and neighborhood tagalongs.

    Academic text (2012)
  • He never wanted to be the tagalong, but his friends always ended up dragging him along on their adventures.

Synonyms

pest
vstagalong
  • Offensive
27 2.1

A person who keeps bothering others

is about persistent company rather than general nuisance behavior
follower
vstagalong
24 1.0

A person who moves behind another person or goes after them

implies annoyance and unwanted persistence rather than neutral movement
hanger-on
vstagalong
9 6.8

A person who stays close to someone to get help or money, often annoying

is about persistent company without clear self-serving motive
pesterer
vstagalong
6.1

A person who annoys others by asking too many questions or interrupting them

is more about persistent company and unwanted presence

Antonyms

1.0

A person who guides and directs a group, organization, or country

How Annoying

stalker
  • Offensive
119 7.0
leech
  • Offensive
9 8.1
hanger-on
9 6.8
tagalong
  • Offensive
2 8.2
follower
24 1.0

Surface Forms

tagalong singular
tagalongs plural

Morphology

tagalong = tag + along (transparent) = tag + along

The noun is directly built from the clear verb phrase 'tag' + 'along' meaning someone who 'tags along', so the relation is obvious.

Etymology

The word tagalong comes from the phrase tag + along, where tag calls to mind the children's game of chasing and along means 'with', so a tagalong is someone who follows others closely, often in an unwanted way.