straggler
/'stræglə/
Definition
- 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.
Noun
-
someone who strays or falls behind
