tailed

tailed — adjective

1. used in combination with words like 'long', 'short', or 'bushy' to describe an a

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

used in combination with words like 'long', 'short', or 'bushy' to describe an animal or object that has a tail of that type or appearance

Example

A long-tailed bird sat on the branch outside my window.

compound adjective: long-tailed + bird

The red-tailed hawk is one of the most common birds of prey in North America.

color + -tailed as part of species name

Common collocations
  • long-tailed
  • short-tailed
  • bushy-tailed
  • red-tailed
  • white-tailed
  • black-tailed
Antonyms
  • tailless

    describes an animal that naturally has no tail, such as the Manx cat or certain frog species

Grammar Patterns

[adj]-tailed + noun

Usage Note

This sense almost always appears in compound adjectives formed with a preceding descriptor (color, length, shape). The compound is typically hyphenated when it appears before a noun.

Common Mistakes

The cat is tailed.
The cat is long-tailed.
'tailed' alone is not used as a predicative adjective; it needs a modifier in a compound.

tailed — verb

Word family

  • tail
    nounA2
  • tail
    verbB2
  • tailless
    adjectiveC1
  • tails
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe moving behind or after someone, but they differ in purpose and connotation. 'Tailed' is the most specific to police and detective work — it implies secret observation without the target's knowledge. 'Followed' is the most general and neutral; anyone can follow anyone for any reason. 'Shadowed' suggests staying very close while remaining unseen, like a shadow — it is common in spy novels and thrillers. 'Tracked' can involve physical signs (footprints, tyre marks) or electronic means (GPS, phone signals), not necessarily in-person surveillance. 'Stalked' has a much darker meaning — persistent, unwanted following that makes the target feel afraid; it is never neutral. For example: 'The journalist tailed the minister to a secret location' is a professional surveillance context, whereas 'She felt someone was stalking her on the way home' suggests a threatening situation.

followed ↗shadowedtrackedstalked

Common collocations

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

This word is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'tail', which comes from the noun 'tail' referring to the rear part of an animal. The sense 'to follow' developed in the 1800s from the idea of staying at someone's tail (behind them). The use in compound adjectives (long-tailed, red-tailed) simply adds the '-ed' suffix to the noun 'tail' to mean 'having a tail'.