MEANING
To move behind others or spread out loosely and unevenly.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- straggle behind
- straggling line
On the page
A few exhausted walkers straggled behind the main party.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- straggle
- Past tense
- straggled
- Past participle
- straggled
- Present participle
- straggling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- straggle
- Present continuous
- am/is/are straggling
- Present perfect
- have/has straggled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been straggling
- Past
- straggled
- Past continuous
- was/were straggling
- Past perfect
- had straggled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been straggling
- Future
- will straggle
- Future continuous
- will be straggling
- Future perfect
- will have straggled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been straggling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: straggle; straggles; straggled; straggled; straggling Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: straggles.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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