a track or mark left by something that has passed
"there as a trail of blood"
"a tear left its trail on her cheek"
a path or track roughly blazed through wild or hilly country
"The lost hikers followed the faint trail winding through the dense, rocky forest until they found their way back to civilization."
The track or indication marking the route followed by something that has passed, such as the footprints of animal on land or the contrail of an airplane in the sky.
"The hikers paused to admire the fresh trail left behind by a herd of elk crossing the meadow."
In plain English: A trail is a path worn into the ground by people or animals walking along it repeatedly.
"The hikers followed the faint trail through the woods until they found a clear path."
to lag or linger behind
"But in so many other areas we still are dragging"
go after with the intent to catch
"The policeman chased the mugger down the alley"
"the dog chased the rabbit"
To follow behind (someone or something); to tail (someone or something).
"The detective quietly trailed the suspect through the crowded market until he lost sight of him in an alleyway."
In plain English: To trail something means to follow it from behind without being noticed.
"The hikers followed the muddy trail through the forest."
Usage: Use trail when you are following someone at a distance, often while they remain unaware of your presence. This verb differs from shadowing only in that it implies moving along the same path rather than maintaining constant visual contact.
A city in British Columbia, Canada.
"We drove up to Trail yesterday and spent the afternoon hiking around the old mining town."
The word trail comes from Old French trailler, which originally meant "to tow" or "pick up the scent of a quarry." It traveled into English through Middle English trailen, retaining its core sense of dragging something along.