Meaning & Definition of word "Tailing"

Tailing

/ˈteɪlɪŋ/

1. The act of following another vehicle closely.
- Example: The driver was criticized for tailing the car in front of him too closely.
2. The discarded material or waste left over after a mining operation.
- Example: The mining company stored the tailings in a large pond to prevent contamination.
3. A series of connected or sequential elements, especially in a list or data set.
- Example: The tailings of the report included insights into future trends.

1. To follow another vehicle closely.
- Example: He was tailing the truck down the highway at a dangerous speed.
2. To collect or process tailings or waste material.
- Example: The team focused on tailing the leftovers from the excavation for further analysis.

The term comes from the verb 'tail', meaning to follow or to come after. The suffix '-ing' indicates the process of doing something.

tailings pond:

A storage area for tailings, designed to contain and manage the waste.

tailing off:

Gradually decreasing in intensity or strength.

the long tail:

A business strategy that suggests niche products can collectively make up a significant market share.

tail:

The part of an animal that extends from the back end; also refers to the end part of something.

follow:

To go or come after a person or thing.

Meaning: To tail someone

Example Sentence: I was tailing him to see what he was up to.

Meaning: Tailing off

Example Sentence: His enthusiasm was tailing off as the project progressed.