trailing behind
Following at a distance
Trailing behind means following at a distance, lagging in position or progress.
A runner trails behind the pack; poll numbers trail behind a rival's.
The phrase emphasizes the gap between what leads and what follows: She was trailing behind the other students in math.
It can suggest falling short or struggling to keep pace.
- tailingSecretly following someone
- laggingFailing to keep pace
- backReverse side; support
- delayedMade to wait longer
- running lateBehind expected arrival time
belated · dragging · down · following · bringing up the rear · tardy · underperforming · sluggish · subordinate · inferior · slow-moving · stalled · secondary · junior · second fiddle · lingering · postponed · hesitant
- Coming Afterfollowing, subsequent, next, later, after
trailing behindleading
Guiding or pacing type
ahead · out in front · in the lead · up ahead · in front
trailing behindwinning
Achieving victory
dominating · in the lead · on top · outpacing · crushing it
trailing behindahead of schedule
Before the planned time
advanced · ahead of the curve · out in front · precocious · pioneering
trail, trailing, trailed, trails, trailer, trailers, behind, hind, hinder