Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for straggle

straggle

[ strag-uhl ]

verb (used without object)

, strag·gled, strag·gling.
  1. to spread or be spread in a scattered fashion or at irregular intervals:

    The trees straggle over the countryside.

  2. to lag behind others:

    Some organizations have caught on to this concept, but others are straggling behind.

  3. to stray from the road, course, or line of march.
  4. to wander about in a scattered fashion; ramble.


straggle

/ ˈstræɡəl /

verb

  1. to go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way; stray
  2. to linger behind or wander from a main line or part


Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈstragglingly, adverb
  • ˈstraggly, adjective
  • ˈstraggler, noun
  • ˈstraggling, adjective

Discover More

Other Words From

  • strag·gler noun
  • strag·gling·ly adverb

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of straggle1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English straglen, of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of strackle (unrecorded), frequentative of obsolete strake “to go, move” ( -le ( def ) ); stagger ( def )

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of straggle1

C14: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to strake and stretch

Discover More

Example Sentences

Survivors with minor injuries straggled out with blood splattered on their clothes.

The humpbacks would slap their tails to keep the prey inside that sphere, and pick off the straggling fish nearer to the outside.

Better to straggle along on Zoom, seeing one another’s faces, than mask up for eight hours or more.

One by one, the boys straggle out to the cars, again looking sleepy and hung-over.

It was plain that the Indians were dogging our steps day and night, and the men were warned not to straggle.

The Rebel army had made slower marches, and the soldiers could not straggle; they were in an enemy's country.

Soon groups of natives began to straggle up, not in regular formation this time.

The agile and powerful Zulu, however, was half up in a moment, and the straggle became a hand-to-hand one.

He could either possess his soul in patience until the mounted contingent began to straggle back, or risk another rock-fall.

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Straffordstraggler