verb / noun
straggle
STRAG-ul/ˈstræɡl/
To extend or move in a scattered irregular formation.
Hikers straggle down the trail far behind the main group.
Etymology
Middle English stragelen described wandering from the proper path or becoming separated from companions. The modern sense preserves this separation from an orderly group; the word’s deeper ancestry is uncertain.
In context
the jury began to straggle in followed by the reporters a few Spectators and Witnesses
More examples
- Weeds straggle across the neglected garden.
- The last few guests straggled in after dinner began.
- A straggle of houses dots the hillside.
Forms
straggle · straggles · straggled · straggling
straggler noun — A person trailing behind a group.
straggly adjective — Growing or hanging in an untidy spread.