v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Trailed p. pr. & vb. n. Trailing. ] [ OE. trailen, OF. trailler to trail a deer, or hunt him upon a cold scent, also, to hunt or pursue him with a limehound, F. trailler to trail a fishing line; probably from a derivative of L. trahere to draw; cf. L. traha a drag, sledge, tragula a kind of drag net, a small sledge, Sp. trailla a leash, an instrument for leveling the ground, D. treilen to draw with a rope, to tow, treil a rope for drawing a boat. See Trace, v. t. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (a) To hunt by the track; to track. (b) to follow behind. (c) To pursue. Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. To draw or drag, as along the ground. [ 1913 Webster ]

And hung his head, and trailed his legs along. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

They shall not trail me through their streets
Like a wild beast. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Long behind he trails his pompous robe. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mil.) To carry, as a firearm, with the breech near the ground and the upper part inclined forward, the piece being held by the right hand near the middle. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To tread down, as grass, by walking through it; to lay flat. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To take advantage of the ignorance of; to impose upon. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I presently perceived she was (what is vernacularly termed) trailing Mrs. Dent; that is, playing on her ignorance. C. Bronte. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To be drawn out in length; to follow after. [ 1913 Webster ]

When his brother saw the red blood trail. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To grow to great length, especially when slender and creeping upon the ground, as a plant; to run or climb. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A track left by man or beast; a track followed by the hunter; a scent on the ground by the animal pursued; as, a deer trail. [ 1913 Webster ]

They traveled in the bed of the brook, leaving no dangerous trail. Cooper. [ 1913 Webster ]

How cheerfully on the false trail they cry! Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A footpath or road track through a wilderness or wild region; as, an Indian trail over the plains. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Anything drawn out to a length; as, the trail of a meteor; a trail of smoke. [ 1913 Webster ]

When lightning shoots in glittering trails along. Rowe. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Anything drawn behind in long undulations; a train. “A radiant trail of hair.” Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Anything drawn along, as a vehicle. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A frame for trailing plants; a trellis. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

7. The entrails of a fowl, especially of game, as the woodcock, and the like; -- applied also, sometimes, to the entrails of sheep. [ 1913 Webster ]

The woodcock is a favorite with epicures, and served with its trail in, is a delicious dish. Baird. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Mil.) That part of the stock of a gun carriage which rests on the ground when the piece is unlimbered. See Illust. of Gun carriage, under Gun. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. The act of taking advantage of the ignorance of a person; an imposition. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Trail boards (Shipbuilding), the carved boards on both sides of the cutwater near the figurehead. --
Trail net, a net that is trailed or drawn behind a boat. Wright. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a wheeled vehicle without a motor, designed to be drawn by a motor vehicle in front of it; specifically: (a) such a vehicle used on street railroads. Called also trail car. (b) the large wheeled wagon or van pulled by a tractor in a tractor-trailer combination. (c) a vehicle equipped as a mobile dwelling unit, pulled by an automobile or other mtor vehicle, and used as a dwelling when parked; -- also called a mobile home. (d) A wheeled motorless open wagon designed to carry a heavy object, such as a boat trailer. [ PJC ]

2. (Movies) A short blank segment of movie film attached to the end; -- used for convenient insertion of the film in a projector. [ PJC ]

3. (Movies) A short film consisting primarily of one or more short portions of a film, used in promotions or advertisements shortly before initial release of a film. [ PJC ]

4. A part of an object which extends some distance beyond the main body of the object; as, the trailer of a plant. [ 1913 Webster ]

trailer park. An area equipped to accommodate trailers{ 2 }, often with outlets supplying electrical power and water. Called also trailer camp, trailer court. [ PJC ]

n. One who, or that which, trails. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & vb. n. from Trail. [ 1913 Webster ]

Trailing arbutus. (Bot.) See under Arbutus. --
Trailing spring, a spring fixed in the axle box of the trailing wheels of a locomotive engine, and so placed as to assist in deadening any shock which may occur. Weale. --
Trailing wheel, a hind wheel of a locomotive when it is not a driving wheel; also, one of the hind wheels of a carriage. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Aeronautics) A following edge. See Advancing edge, above. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Aeronautics) Same as Guide rope, above. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]