The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - trail n.

1) (beaten) path, way, footpath, route, way, track, course: There is a well-worn trail through the wood. 2) track, spoor, scent, smell, trace, footsteps, footprints, path, wake: The trail of the elephant herd was quite easy to follow. 3) See train, 2, below: She was always followed by a trail of admirers. --v. 4) tow, draw, drag (along) , haul, pull, tag along, trawl, bring along (behind) , carry along (behind) : We were moving slowly because we were trailing a dinghy. 5) drag, pull, move, be drawn, stream, sweep, dangle: I heard the whisper of silken gowns trailing across Persian carpets. 6) lag (behind) , dawdle, loiter, linger, follow, straggle, bring up the rear, hang back, fall or drop behind: Our team was trailing three-five in the final. 7) follow, pursue, dog, trace, shadow, stalk, track, chase, hunt, Colloq tail: We trailed the suspect to Victoria Station, where we lost him. 8) trail off or away. diminish, decrease, fade away or out, disappear, dwindle, lessen, die out or away, peter out, subside, taper off, weaken, grow faint or dim: As they drove away, the noise of their blasting radio trailed off.