Meaning & use
Tailing
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Waste material left over after the valuable part of an ore has been extracted, or the act of following closely behind someone.
See it in a sentence
The mining company was fined for improperly storing toxic tailing near the river.
The detective noticed a car tailing him for several blocks.
A note on using this word
In mining, 'tailings' (usually plural) refers to processed rock left after extraction; the verb sense of following someone comes from a related image of trailing behind.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. verb
Following someone closely and secretly, typically to observe or track them.
An unmarked van had been tailing the suspect's vehicle all morning.
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