straggler

/'stræglə/

Thân thiện

A hiker stops to tie his boot, becoming a straggler behind his group.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who moves or progresses more slowly than others, falling behind a main group: A straggler is someone who lags behind, often due to moving at a slower pace, stopping frequently, or becoming separated from a larger, organized group.
   • An isolated or scattered member of a group: This can refer to a person, animal, or thing that is separated from the main body and is found alone or in a scattered manner.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The hikers waited at the trailhead for the last straggler to arrive.
  • After the concert, a few stragglers remained in the empty parking lot.
  • The shepherd counted his sheep to ensure there were no stragglers left on the mountain.

Advanced Usage

• "To pick up the stragglers": To wait for or collect the people who are falling behind.
  • The tour guide made sure to pick up the stragglers at each checkpoint.
• "The last straggler": The final person or thing to arrive or be accounted for.
  • We can start the meeting once the last straggler gets here.

Variants and Related Words

• Straggle (verb): To move or spread out in a scattered, irregular, or untidy way; to lag behind.
  • The crowd began to straggle out of the stadium after the game.
• Straggly (adjective): Growing or spreading in an irregular, untidy way.
  • The plant had long, straggly branches.

Synonyms

• Laggard: A person who makes slow progress and falls behind others.
• Lingerer: A person who stays in a place longer than necessary, often causing delay.
• Slowcoach (informal): A person who acts or moves slowly.

Related Phrases

• To bring up the rear: To be the last person in a moving group, often ensuring no one is left behind.
  • I'll bring up the rear to make sure no stragglers get lost.
• To fall by the wayside: To fail to continue or be left behind, often due to difficulty. (This idiom is more about failing to persist than simply moving slowly.)
  • Many runners fell by the wayside, but a few stragglers persevered to the finish line.

Học thuật

Noun

1. someone who strays or falls behind

Từ đồng nghĩa

• strayer