tail
tail — noun
1. the long narrow appendage that grows from the hind section of a creature, servin
the long narrow appendage that grows from the hind section of a creature, serving purposes such as communication, maintaining balance, or steering
The dog wagged her tail when Rohan walked through the door.
wag + tail for happiness
A cat uses its long tail to keep balance when it jumps between walls.
tail for balance
The peacock spread its colourful tail feathers to attract a mate in the park.
Lien spotted a rabbit with a small white tail disappear into the bushes.
- wag its tail
- long tail
- bushy tail
- tail feathers
Usage Note
Often used in expressions involving animal behaviour — 'wag its tail' (happiness), 'tuck its tail' (fear), 'swish its tail' (irritation).
Common Mistakes
2. an individual employed to observe someone's comings and goings without their kno
an individual employed to observe someone's comings and goings without their knowledge, often for police or investigative purposes
The detective put a tail on the suspect after getting a tip from an informant.
put a tail on someone — assign surveillance
Yara noticed a tail following her car as she drove through the city centre.
The agency assigned two tails to watch the warehouse entrance all night.
Lucía spotted a tail parked across the street from her apartment building.
- put a tail on
- lost his tail
- pick up a tail
Usage Note
Frequently used in crime or espionage contexts. The collocation 'put a tail on someone' means to assign someone to follow that person.
3. the face of a coin bearing a number or symbol rather than a person's portrait, u
the face of a coin bearing a number or symbol rather than a person's portrait, used as one of two possible results in a coin toss
Esme flipped a coin and called tails before it hit the ground.
call tails — predict the outcome in coin toss
Heads or tails — you choose, and the winner buys coffee.
The coin landed on tails three times in a row, which seemed unlikely.
Layla bet on tails and won enough money to buy ice cream for everyone.
- heads or tails
- call tails
- land on tails
- reverse
formal term for the back side of a coin, medal, or flag.
- heads
the side of a coin showing a portrait.
Usage Note
Almost always used in the fixed pair 'heads or tails' when tossing a coin to decide something. 'Tails' can be treated as either singular or plural.
4. the last or rearmost part of something, such as a line of people, a vehicle, a p
the last or rearmost part of something, such as a line of people, a vehicle, a procession, or a period of time
Liam stood at the tail of the long queue outside the concert hall.
tail of the queue — very back of a line
The tail of the storm brought heavy rain to the coastal towns.
Naoko could see the tail of the ship disappearing into the evening fog.
The tail of the parade featured children waving flags and blowing whistles.
- tail of the queue
- tail of the storm
- tail end
Usage Note
When used to mean 'the last part of a period of time', it is commonly found in phrases like 'the tail end of the week' or 'the tail end of the meeting'.
5. a man's formal jacket with a short front and two long pieces of material hanging
a man's formal jacket with a short front and two long pieces of material hanging from the back, typically worn to weddings, galas, or state dinners
William wore a white tie and tails to the state dinner at the palace.
wore tails — formal dress code
The orchestra conductor stepped onto the stage in a crisp black tailcoat.
Renting tails for the gala cost more than Christopher had expected.
The bride's father stood at the altar looking elegant in his grey tails.
- white tie and tails
- wear tails
- in tails
- tailcoat
the full formal name for the jacket itself.
Usage Note
Often used in the plural form 'tails' to refer to the complete outfit including the tailcoat. 'White tie and tails' is the most formal Western dress code.
6. the round, soft area on which a person sits, located at the lower back of the bo
the round, soft area on which a person sits, located at the lower back of the body
Ryan slipped on the wet floor and landed right on his tail.
Mira told the toddler to sit on her tail and wait for dinner.
sit on your tail — informal for sit down
Kenji got a bruise on his tail after falling off his bicycle.
His father gave him a gentle tap on the tail to hurry him up the stairs.
tap on the tail — pat on the bottom
- sit on your tail
- land on your tail
- fall on your tail
Usage Note
Informal and slightly childish or playful. Considered less vulgar than slang terms but not appropriate for formal or medical writing. 'Backside' is a neutral alternative.
7. in grammar, a short expression placed after a statement that repeats or refers t
in grammar, a short expression placed after a statement that repeats or refers to earlier information, as in 'It's cold, isn't it?'
In spoken English, tag questions like "aren't you" are a common type of tail.
Linguists call a short phrase at the end of a statement a tail when it repeats the subject.
tail in grammar as a sentence-final phrase
Sari used the tail "right" at the end of her sentence to check for agreement.
In some dialects, speakers add the tail "eh" to turn a statement into a question.
- tag question tail
- sentence tail
- add a tail
- tag question
a specific type of tail — a question added to the end of a statement.
Usage Note
This is a technical term in linguistics and grammar study. The most common tails in English are tag questions ('isn't it?', 'won't you?') and fixed phrases like 'right?' or 'okay?'.
8. the group of batters who bat at the lowest positions in a cricket team's batting
the group of batters who bat at the lowest positions in a cricket team's batting order, usually consisting of less experienced or less skilled players
The tail collapsed quickly, and the team was all out for a low score.
the tail — collective term for lower-order batters
Ravindra was promoted up the order because the tail had failed in the previous match.
A strong tail can add fifty valuable runs in the final innings of a test match.
The team's tail managed to survive the last ten overs and save the match.
- the tail collapsed
- tail wagged
- bowl out the tail
- lower order
the more formal term for the same group of batters.
- tailenders
individual batters who bat in the tail positions.
- top order
the first batters in the batting order, typically the most skilled.
Usage Note
Always used with the definite article ('the tail') when referring to the group of batters. Individual batters in this group are called 'tailenders'.
turn tail
idiomto turn around and run away quickly, especially from a fight or dangerous situation
As soon as the older boys shouted at them, the younger kids turned tail and ran home.
The fox turned tail when it heard the farmer's shotgun from across the field.
feeling ashamed, defeated, or humiliated after a failure or setback
After losing the debate badly, Lucía walked off the stage with her tail between her legs.
The team had to go home with their tails between their legs after the worst loss of the season.
a situation in which a small or unimportant part of something controls or dominates the larger or more important part
Letting one intern decide the schedule is like the tail wagging the dog around here.
Critics argued that the committee was the tail wagging the dog, overriding the full board.
to be completely unable to understand something, such as a confusing explanation or a badly written message
Sade stared at the map for ten minutes but could not make head nor tail of the directions.
The instructions were so poorly translated that Layla could not make head nor tail of them.
chase your tail
idiomto be very busy doing many things but achieving very little, often because of poor organisation
Élise spent the whole morning chasing her tail and got nothing ready for the meeting.
Without a proper system, the support team is just chasing its tail all day.
on someone's tail
idiomfollowing someone very closely, either physically or in a competitive situation
The police car was right on the suspect's tail throughout the highway chase.
In the final lap, the second runner was hot on the leader's tail.
a sting in the tail
idioman unpleasant or surprising part that appears at the end of a story, event, or agreement
The contract looked generous, but the sting in the tail was a ten-year commitment clause.
The movie had a sting in the tail that no one in the audience expected.
nose to tail
idiomwith vehicles positioned very close to one another in a long, slow-moving line
Traffic was moving nose to tail for miles after the accident on the motorway.
Cars sat nose to tail along the coastal road during the holiday weekend.
heads or tails
idiomused when asking which side of a coin will face upward after it is tossed, as a way of deciding something by chance
Zuri asked, "Heads or tails?" before flipping the coin to decide who would go first.
They settled the argument with a quick game of heads or tails.
To not be able to understand something at all.
Sara couldn't make head nor tail of the complex instructions.
Can you make head or tail of this messy diagram?
To spend a lot of time and effort doing things that do not achieve anything useful.
Maya felt she was just chasing her tail at work all day.
Stop chasing your tail and focus on one task at a time.
heads or tails?
idiomA question asked when flipping a coin to decide something randomly.
Diego asked, "Heads or tails?" before flipping the coin.
We couldn't decide, so we said, "Heads or tails?" to choose.
on somebody’s tail
idiomFollowing very closely behind someone, especially while driving.
A red car was on my tail for the last five miles.
The police car stayed on the suspect's tail until he stopped.
A situation where a less important thing controls a more important one.
In that company, the interns are the tail wagging the dog.
Letting one complaint change the whole plan is the tail wagging the dog.
Feeling ashamed or defeated after a failure or punishment.
After losing the match, Brian walked away with his tail between his legs.
The team left the field with their tails between their legs after the defeat.
tail — verb
1. to track a person's movements stealthily, typically as a detective or investigat
to track a person's movements stealthily, typically as a detective or investigator trying to gather evidence
The private detective tailed the businessman for three days across the city.
tail + person as direct object
A plainclothes officer tailed the suspect from the train station to the hotel lobby.
Ravindra realised someone had been tailing his car since he left the office.
The undercover agent tailed the group through narrow streets without being seen.
- tail a suspect
- tail someone
- be tailed by
Grammar Patterns
tail + person
Usage Note
Used in detective fiction and crime reports. 'Tail' emphasizes stealthy, continuous following — not a casual or brief look. The passive form ('be tailed') is common in news reports.
Common Mistakes
2. to cut off the end part of a fruit, vegetable, or a creature's rear extension as
to cut off the end part of a fruit, vegetable, or a creature's rear extension as part of cooking preparation or animal care
Isabela tailed the strawberries before adding them to the fruit salad.
tail + fruit for removing the stem/end
The farmer tailed the lambs shortly after they were born.
The okra was tailed before being added to the stew.
passive: tail + produce
The kitchen assistant spent the afternoon tailing rhubarb for the pie filling.
tailing [produce] for [purpose]
- tail strawberries
- tail beans
- tail a lamb
Grammar Patterns
tail + noun
Usage Note
More common in British English for fruit/vegetable preparation. For animal tail removal, 'dock' is the more standard term.
tail — adjective
1. relating to a legal arrangement that limits the inheritance of land or property
relating to a legal arrangement that limits the inheritance of land or property to a specific person or group, so that it cannot be sold freely
The estate was held in tail, meaning only the eldest son could inherit it.
held in tail — legal phrase for restricted inheritance
A tail estate prevents the current owner from selling the property to outsiders.
The lawyer explained that the land was tail property under the old family settlement.
Under the terms of the will, the manor was granted in tail male to the eldest heir.
- held in tail
- tail estate
- fee tail
- entailed
the more common modern adjective for this legal restriction.
- freehold
full ownership without inheritance restrictions.
Usage Note
Almost exclusively used in historical legal contexts. The modern equivalent is 'fee tail'. Most learners will encounter this only in literature or historical documents. The phrase 'in tail' appears in fixed legal expressions.
Word family
- tailedadjectiveB2
- taillessadjectiveC1
- tailcoatnounC1
- tailendernounC2
- tailgateverbB2
- tailspinnounC1
- tailslidenounC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
These verbs all mean to move behind someone, but they differ in purpose and method. 'Follow' is the most general word — anyone can follow another person for any reason ('The child followed her mother through the market'). 'Tail' implies secret, professional surveillance, often by police or detectives ('The agent tailed the diplomat for weeks'). 'Shadow' is very similar to 'tail' but feels slightly more informal and suggests staying so close you are like a shadow ('The journalist shadowed the politician for a day'). 'Track' can mean following physical footprints, using technology like GPS, or monitoring progress over time ('Rescuers tracked the hiker's phone signal'). 'Stalk' has a negative meaning — it is obsessive, repeated, and unwanted following that frightens the victim ('The celebrity complained that a fan had been stalking her for months'). Use 'tail' when the following is secretive and professional; use 'follow' for neutral situations.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'tail' comes from Old English 'tægl', meaning the rear end of an animal. It is related to Old High German 'zagal' and Old Norse 'tagl' (horse's tail). These all trace back to a Proto-Germanic ancestor. The verb meaning 'to follow closely' developed in the 19th century, likely because a person following another stays at their 'tail'. The sense of 'tails' on a formal coat comes from the long hanging sections at the back, which reminded people of animal tails.