straggle

• POS: Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: strag=gle

CIDE DICTIONARY

straggle, v. i. [Freq. of OE. straken to roam, to stroke. See Stroke, v. t.].

•  To wander from the direct course or way; to rove; to stray; to wander from the line of march or desert the line of battle; as, when troops are on the march, the men should not straggle.  Dryden.  [1913 Webster]
•  To wander at large; to roam idly about; to ramble.  [1913 Webster]

  "The wolf spied out a straggling kid."  [1913 Webster]
•  To escape or stretch beyond proper limits, as the branches of a plant; to spread widely apart; to shoot too far or widely in growth.  [1913 Webster]

  "Trim off the small, superfluous branches on each side of the hedge that straggle too far out."  [1913 Webster]
•  To be dispersed or separated; to occur at intervals.  Sir W. Scott.  [1913 Webster]

  "They came between Scylla and Charybdis and the straggling rocks."  [1913 Webster]

straggle, n. 

 The act of straggling.  Carlyle.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

straggle, v. & n.
--v.intr.
1 lack or lose compactness or tidiness.
2 be or become dispersed or sporadic.
3 trail behind others in a march or race etc.
4 (of a plant, beard, etc.) grow long and loose.
--n. a body or group of straggling or scattered persons or things.

Derivative

straggler n. straggly adj. (stragglier, straggliest).

Etymology

ME, perh. rel. to dial. strake go, rel. to STRETCH

THESAURUS

straggle

amble, barge, bat around, be lengthy, be prolonged, belong, bowl along, bum, bundle, clump, count ties, crane, dawdle, divagate, drag, drift, err, excurse, extend, extend out, fall behind, flit, flounce, foot, footslog, gad, gad about, gallivant, get behind, go about, go adrift, go astray, go the rounds, halt, hang back, hippety-hop, hit the road, hit the trail, hitch, hobble, hobo, hop, jaunt, jog, jolt, jump, knock about, knock around, lag, limp, linger, linger behind, loiter, lumber, lunge, lurch, maunder, meander, mince, mooch, mosey, nomadize, outreach, outstretch, pace, paddle, peg, peregrinate, pererrate, piaffe, piaffer, plod, prance, prowl, rack, ramble, range, reach out, roam, roll, rove, run about, sashay, saunter, scramble, scuff, scuffle, scuttle, shamble, shuffle, sidle, single-foot, skip, slink, slither, slog, slouch, snake, sprangle, sprawl, spread-eagle, stagger, stalk, stamp, stand on tiptoes, stomp, straddle, stray, stretch, stretch out, stride, stroll, strut, stump, swagger, swing, tittup, toddle, totter, trail, trail behind, traipse, tramp, trip, trudge, twist, twist and turn, vagabond, vagabondize, waddle, walk the tracks, wamble, wander, wayfare, wiggle, wind, wobble

ROGET THESAURUS

straggle

Journey

VB travel, journey, course, take a journey, go a journey, take a walk, go out for walk, have a run, take the air, flit, take wing, migrate, emigrate, trek, rove, prowl, roam, range, patrol, pace up and down, traverse, scour the country, traverse the country, peragrate, circumambulate, perambulate, nomadize, wander, ramble, stroll, saunter, hover, go one's rounds, straggle, gad, gad about, expatiate, walk, march, step, tread, pace, plod, wend, go by shank's mare, promenade, trudge, tramp, stalk, stride, straddle, strut, foot it, hoof it, stump, bundle, bowl along, toddle, paddle, tread a path, take horse, ride, drive, trot, amble, canter, prance, fisk, frisk, caracoler, caracole, gallop, embark, board, set out, hit the road, get going, get underway, peg on, jog on, wag on, shuffle on, stir one's stumps, bend one's steps, bend one's course, make one's way, find one's way, wend one's way, pick one's way, pick one's way, thread one's way, plow one's way, slide, glide, coast, skim, skate, march in procession, file on, defile, go to, repair to, resort to, hie to, betake oneself to.

Deviation

VB alter one's course, deviate, depart from, turn, trend, bend, curve, swerve, heel, bear off, gybe, wear, intervert, deflect, divert, divert from its course, put on a new scent, shift, shunt, draw aside, crook, warp, stray, straggle, sidle, diverge, tralineate, digress, wander, wind, twist, meander, veer, tack, divagate, sidetrack, turn aside, turn a corner, turn away from, wheel, steer clear of, ramble, rove, drift, go astray, go adrift, yaw, dodge, step aside, ease off, make way for, shy, fly off at a tangent, glance off, wheel about, face about, turn to the right about, face to the right about, waddle, go out of one's way, lose one's way.