Words that rhyme with avail

  • countervail
    v 1: compensate for or counterbalance; "offset deposits and withdrawals" [syn: offset, countervail] 2: oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary actions; "This will counteract the foolish actions of my colleagues" [syn: counteract, countervail, neutralize, counterbalance]
  • ail
    n 1: aromatic bulb used as seasoning [syn: garlic, ail] v 1: be ill or unwell 2: cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed [syn: trouble, ail, pain]
  • airmail
    n 1: letters and packages that are transported by aircraft 2: a system of conveying mail by aircraft [syn: airmail, airpost] v 1: send or transport by airmail; "Letters to Europe from the U.S. are best airmailed"
  • ale
    n 1: a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the United States an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume
  • assail
    v 1: attack someone physically or emotionally; "The mugger assaulted the woman"; "Nightmares assailed him regularly" [syn: assail, assault, set on, attack] 2: launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with; "Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II"; "Serbian forces assailed Bosnian towns all week" [syn: attack, assail] [ant: defend] 3: attack in speech or writing; "The editors of the left-leaning paper attacked the new House Speaker" [syn: attack, round, assail, lash out, snipe, assault]
  • bail
    n 1: (criminal law) money that must be forfeited by the bondsman if an accused person fails to appear in court for trial; "the judge set bail at $10,000"; "a $10,000 bond was furnished by an alderman" [syn: bail, bail bond, bond] 2: the legal system that allows an accused person to be temporarily released from custody (usually on condition that a sum of money guarantees their appearance at trial); "he is out on bail" v 1: release after a security has been paid 2: deliver something in trust to somebody for a special purpose and for a limited period 3: secure the release of (someone) by providing security 4: empty (a vessel) by bailing 5: remove (water) from a vessel with a container
  • bale
    n 1: a large bundle bound for storage or transport 2: a city in northwestern Switzerland [syn: Basel, Basle, Bale] v 1: make into a bale; "bale hay"
  • bewail
    v 1: regret strongly; "I deplore this hostile action"; "we lamented the loss of benefits" [syn: deplore, lament, bewail, bemoan]
  • blackmail
    n 1: extortion of money by threats to divulge discrediting information v 1: exert pressure on someone through threats [syn: blackmail, blackjack, pressure] 2: obtain through threats
  • bobtail
    adj 1: having a short or shortened tail; "bobtail mare" [syn: bobtail, bobtailed] n 1: a short or shortened tail of certain animals [syn: bobtail, bob, dock] 2: large sheepdog with a profuse shaggy bluish-grey-and-white coat and short tail; believed to trace back to the Roman occupation of Britain [syn: Old English sheepdog, bobtail]
  • brail
    n 1: a small net used to draw fish into a boat 2: a small rope (one of several) used to draw a sail in v 1: take in a sail with a brail 2: haul fish aboard with brails
  • braille
    n 1: French educator who lost his sight at the age of three and who invented a system of writing and printing for sightless people (1809-1852) [syn: Braille, Louis Braille] 2: a point system of writing in which patterns of raised dots represent letters and numerals v 1: transcribe in braille
  • broadtail
    n 1: the fur of a very young karakul lamb 2: hardy coarse-haired sheep of central Asia; lambs are valued for their soft curly black fur [syn: broadtail, caracul, karakul]
  • cattail
    n 1: tall erect herbs with sword-shaped leaves; cosmopolitan in fresh and salt marshes
  • coattail
    n 1: the loose back flap of a coat that hangs below the waist
  • cocktail
    n 1: a short mixed drink 2: an appetizer served as a first course at a meal
  • cottontail
    n 1: common small rabbit of North America having greyish or brownish fur and a tail with a white underside; a host for Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis (Lyme disease ticks) [syn: wood rabbit, cottontail, cottontail rabbit]
  • curtail
    v 1: place restrictions on; "curtail drinking in school" [syn: restrict, curtail, curb, cut back] 2: terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end or its full extent; "My speech was cut short"; "Personal freedom is curtailed in many countries" [syn: clip, curtail, cut short]
  • dale
    n 1: an open river valley (in a hilly area)
  • derail
    v 1: cause to run off the tracks; "they had planned to derail the trains that carried atomic waste" 2: run off or leave the rails; "the train derailed because a cow was standing on the tracks" [syn: derail, jump]
  • detail
    n 1: an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole; "several of the details are similar"; "a point of information" [syn: detail, item, point] 2: a small part that can be considered separately from the whole; "it was perfect in all details" [syn: detail, particular, item] 3: extended treatment of particulars; "the essay contained too much detail" 4: a crew of workers selected for a particular task; "a detail was sent to remove the fallen trees" 5: a temporary military unit; "the peacekeeping force includes one British contingent" [syn: contingent, detail] v 1: provide details for 2: assign to a specific task; "The ambulances were detailed to the fire station"
  • doornail
    n 1: a nail with a large head; formerly used to decorate doors
  • dovetail
    n 1: a mortise joint formed by interlocking tenons and mortises [syn: dovetail, dovetail joint] v 1: fit together tightly, as if by means of a dovetail
  • email
    n 1: (computer science) a system of world-wide electronic communication in which a computer user can compose a message at one terminal that can be regenerated at the recipient's terminal when the recipient logs in; "you cannot send packages by electronic mail" [syn: electronic mail, e-mail, email] [ant: snail mail] v 1: communicate electronically on the computer; "she e-mailed me the good news" [syn: e-mail, email, netmail]
  • entail
    n 1: land received by fee tail 2: the act of entailing property; the creation of a fee tail from a fee simple v 1: have as a logical consequence; "The water shortage means that we have to stop taking long showers" [syn: entail, imply, mean] 2: impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result; "What does this move entail?" [syn: entail, implicate] 3: limit the inheritance of property to a specific class of heirs [syn: fee-tail, entail]
  • exhale
    v 1: expel air; "Exhale when you lift the weight" [syn: exhale, expire, breathe out] [ant: breathe in, inhale, inspire] 2: give out (breath or an odor); "The chimney exhales a thick smoke" [syn: exhale, give forth, emanate]
  • fail
    v 1: fail to do something; leave something undone; "She failed to notice that her child was no longer in his crib"; "The secretary failed to call the customer and the company lost the account" [syn: fail, neglect] 2: be unsuccessful; "Where do today's public schools fail?"; "The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably" [syn: fail, go wrong, miscarry] [ant: bring home the bacon, come through, deliver the goods, succeed, win] 3: disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake; "His sense of smell failed him this time"; "His strength finally failed him"; "His children failed him in the crisis" [syn: fail, betray] 4: stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident" [syn: fail, go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out, go, break, break down] 5: be unable; "I fail to understand your motives" [ant: bring off, carry off, manage, negociate, pull off] 6: judge unacceptable; "The teacher failed six students" [ant: pass] 7: fail to get a passing grade; "She studied hard but failed nevertheless"; "Did I fail the test?" [syn: fail, flunk, bomb, flush it] [ant: make it, pass] 8: fall short in what is expected; "She failed in her obligations as a good daughter-in-law"; "We must not fail his obligation to the victims of the Holocaust" 9: become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close; "The toy company went bankrupt after the competition hired cheap Mexican labor"; "A number of banks failed that year" 10: prove insufficient; "The water supply for the town failed after a long drought" [syn: fail, run out, give out] 11: get worse; "Her health is declining"
  • faille
    n 1: a ribbed woven fabric of silk or rayon or cotton
  • fantail
    n 1: an overhang consisting of the fan-shaped part of the deck extending aft of the sternpost of a ship
  • female
    adj 1: being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop; "a female heir"; "female holly trees bear the berries" [ant: androgynous, male] 2: characteristic of or peculiar to a woman; "female sensitiveness"; "female suffrage" [syn: female, distaff] 3: for or pertaining to or composed of women or girls; "the female lead in the play"; "a female chorus" n 1: an animal that produces gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes (spermatozoa) [ant: male] 2: a person who belongs to the sex that can have babies [syn: female, female person] [ant: male, male person]
  • fishtail
    v 1: slow down by moving the tail sideways; "The airplane fishtailed on the runway"
  • flail
    n 1: an implement consisting of handle with a free swinging stick at the end; used in manual threshing v 1: give a thrashing to; beat hard [syn: thrash, thresh, lam, flail] 2: move like a flail; thresh about; "Her arms were flailing" [syn: flail, thresh]
  • folktale
    n 1: a tale circulated by word of mouth among the common folk [syn: folktale, folk tale]
  • foresail
    n 1: the lowest sail on the foremast of a square-rigged vessel
  • frail
    adj 1: physically weak; "an invalid's frail body" [ant: robust] 2: wanting in moral strength, courage, or will; having the attributes of man as opposed to e.g. divine beings; "I'm only a fallible human"; "frail humanity" [syn: fallible, frail, imperfect, weak] 3: easily broken or damaged or destroyed; "a kite too delicate to fly safely"; "fragile porcelain plates"; "fragile old bones"; "a frail craft" [syn: delicate, fragile, frail] n 1: the weight of a frail (basket) full of raisins or figs; between 50 and 75 pounds 2: a basket for holding dried fruit (especially raisins or figs)
  • gale
    n 1: a strong wind moving 45-90 knots; force 7 to 10 on Beaufort scale
  • grail
    n 1: the object of any prolonged endeavor 2: (legend) chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper [syn: grail, Holy Grail, Sangraal]
  • guardrail
    n 1: a railing placed alongside a stairway or road for safety [syn: safety rail, guardrail]
  • hail
    n 1: precipitation of ice pellets when there are strong rising air currents 2: many objects thrown forcefully through the air; "a hail of pebbles"; "a hail of bullets" 3: enthusiastic greeting v 1: praise vociferously; "The critics hailed the young pianist as a new Rubinstein" [syn: acclaim, hail, herald] 2: be a native of; "She hails from Kalamazoo" [syn: hail, come] 3: call for; "hail a cab" 4: greet enthusiastically or joyfully [syn: hail, herald] 5: precipitate as small ice particles; "It hailed for an hour"
  • hale
    adj 1: exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health; "hale and hearty"; "whole in mind and body"; "a whole person again" [syn: hale, whole] n 1: a soldier of the American Revolution who was hanged as a spy by the British; his last words were supposed to have been `I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country' (1755-1776) [syn: Hale, Nathan Hale] 2: United States astronomer who discovered that sunspots are associated with strong magnetic fields (1868-1938) [syn: Hale, George Ellery Hale] 3: prolific United States writer (1822-1909) [syn: Hale, Edward Everett Hale] v 1: to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means :"She forced him to take a job in the city"; "He squeezed her for information" [syn: coerce, hale, squeeze, pressure, force] 2: draw slowly or heavily; "haul stones"; "haul nets" [syn: haul, hale, cart, drag]
  • handrail
    n 1: a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling [syn: bannister, banister, balustrade, balusters, handrail]
  • hangnail
    n 1: a loose narrow strip of skin near the base of a fingernail; tearing it produces a painful sore that is easily infected [syn: hangnail, agnail]
  • headsail
    n 1: any sail set forward of the foremast of a vessel
  • hightail
    v 1: leave as fast as possible; "We hightailed it when we saw the police walking in"
  • hobnail
    n 1: a short nail with a thick head; used to protect the soles of boots v 1: supply with hobnails
  • horsetail
    n 1: perennial rushlike flowerless herbs with jointed hollow stems and narrow toothlike leaves that spread by creeping rhizomes; tend to become weedy; common in northern hemisphere; some in Africa and South America
  • impale
    v 1: pierce with a sharp stake or point; "impale a shrimp on a skewer" [syn: transfix, impale, empale, spike] 2: kill by piercing with a spear or sharp pole; "the enemies were impaled and left to die" [syn: impale, stake]
  • inhale
    v 1: draw deep into the lungs in by breathing; "Clinton smoked marijuana but never inhaled" 2: draw in (air); "Inhale deeply"; "inhale the fresh mountain air"; "The patient has trouble inspiring"; "The lung cancer patient cannot inspire air very well" [syn: inhale, inspire, breathe in] [ant: breathe out, exhale, expire]
  • jail
    n 1: a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence) [syn: jail, jailhouse, gaol, clink, slammer, poky, pokey] v 1: lock up or confine, in or as in a jail; "The suspects were imprisoned without trial"; "the murderer was incarcerated for the rest of his life" [syn: imprison, incarcerate, lag, immure, put behind bars, jail, jug, gaol, put away, remand]
  • kale
    n 1: informal terms for money [syn: boodle, bread, cabbage, clams, dinero, dough, gelt, kale, lettuce, lolly, lucre, loot, moolah, pelf, scratch, shekels, simoleons, sugar, wampum] 2: a hardy cabbage with coarse curly leaves that do not form a head [syn: kale, kail, cole, borecole, colewort, Brassica oleracea acephala] 3: coarse curly-leafed cabbage [syn: kale, kail, cole]
  • mail
    n 1: the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service 2: the system whereby messages are transmitted via the post office; "the mail handles billions of items every day"; "he works for the United States mail service"; "in England they call mail `the post'" [syn: mail, mail service, postal service, post] 3: a conveyance that transports the letters and packages that are conveyed by the postal system 4: any particular collection of letters or packages that is delivered; "your mail is on the table"; "is there any post for me?"; "she was opening her post" [syn: mail, post] 5: (Middle Ages) flexible armor made of interlinked metal rings [syn: chain mail, ring mail, mail, chain armor, chain armour, ring armor, ring armour] v 1: send via the postal service; "I'll mail you the check tomorrow" [syn: mail, get off] 2: cause to be directed or transmitted to another place; "send me your latest results"; "I'll mail you the paper when it's written" [syn: mail, post, send]
  • mainsail
    n 1: the lowermost sail on the mainmast
  • male
    adj 1: being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that perform the fertilizing function in generation; "a male infant"; "a male holly tree" [ant: androgynous, female] 2: characteristic of a man; "a deep male voice"; "manly sports" [syn: male, manful, manlike, manly, virile] 3: for or pertaining to or composed of men or boys; "the male lead"; "the male population" n 1: an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes (ova) [ant: female] 2: a person who belongs to the sex that cannot have babies [syn: male, male person] [ant: female, female person] 3: the capital of Maldives in the center of the islands
  • nail
    n 1: horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits 2: a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener 3: a former unit of length for cloth equal to 1/16 of a yard v 1: attach something somewhere by means of nails; "nail the board onto the wall" 2: take into custody; "the police nabbed the suspected criminals" [syn: collar, nail, apprehend, arrest, pick up, nab, cop] 3: hit hard; "He smashed a 3-run homer" [syn: smash, nail, boom, blast] 4: succeed in obtaining a position; "He nailed down a spot at Harvard" [syn: nail down, nail, peg] 5: succeed at easily; "She sailed through her exams"; "You will pass with flying colors"; "She nailed her astrophysics course" [syn: breeze through, ace, pass with flying colors, sweep through, sail through, nail] 6: locate exactly; "can you pinpoint the position of the enemy?"; "The chemists could not nail the identity of the chromosome" [syn: pinpoint, nail] 7: complete a pass [syn: complete, nail]
  • oxtail
    n 1: the skinned tail of cattle; used especially for soups
  • pail
    n 1: a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top [syn: bucket, pail] 2: the quantity contained in a pail [syn: pail, pailful]
  • pale
    adj 1: very light colored; highly diluted with white; "pale seagreen"; "pale blue eyes" 2: (of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble; "the pale light of a half moon"; "a pale sun"; "the late afternoon light coming through the el tracks fell in pale oblongs on the street"; "a pallid sky"; "the pale (or wan) stars"; "the wan light of dawn" [syn: pale, pallid, wan, sick] 3: lacking in vitality or interest or effectiveness; "a pale rendition of the aria"; "pale prose with the faint sweetness of lavender"; "a pallid performance" [syn: pale, pallid] 4: abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress; "the pallid face of the invalid"; "her wan face suddenly flushed" [syn: pale, pallid, wan] 5: not full or rich; "high, pale, pure and lovely song" n 1: a wooden strip forming part of a fence [syn: picket, pale] v 1: turn pale, as if in fear [syn: pale, blanch, blench]
  • percale
    n 1: a fine closely woven cotton fabric
  • pigtail
    n 1: a plait of braided hair
  • pintail
    n 1: long-necked river duck of the Old and New Worlds having elongated central tail feathers [syn: pintail, pin- tailed duck, Anas acuta]
  • prevail
    v 1: be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance; "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood" [syn: predominate, dominate, rule, reign, prevail] 2: be valid, applicable, or true; "This theory still holds" [syn: prevail, hold, obtain] 3: continue to exist; "These stories die hard"; "The legend of Elvis endures" [syn: prevail, persist, die hard, run, endure] 4: prove superior; "The champion prevailed, though it was a hard fight" [syn: prevail, triumph] 5: use persuasion successfully; "He prevailed upon her to visit his parents"
  • quail
    n 1: flesh of quail; suitable for roasting or broiling if young; otherwise must be braised 2: small gallinaceous game birds v 1: draw back, as with fear or pain; "she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf" [syn: flinch, squinch, funk, cringe, shrink, wince, recoil, quail]
  • rail
    n 1: a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports [syn: railing, rail] 2: short for railway; "he traveled by rail"; "he was concerned with rail safety" 3: a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll [syn: track, rail, rails, runway] 4: a horizontal bar (usually of wood or metal) 5: any of numerous widely distributed small wading birds of the family Rallidae having short wings and very long toes for running on soft mud v 1: complain bitterly [syn: rail, inveigh] 2: enclose with rails; "rail in the old graves" [syn: rail, rail in] 3: provide with rails; "The yard was railed" 4: separate with a railing; "rail off the crowds from the Presidential palace" [syn: rail, rail off] 5: convey (goods etc.) by rails; "fresh fruit are railed from Italy to Belgium" 6: travel by rail or train; "They railed from Rome to Venice"; "She trained to Hamburg" [syn: train, rail] 7: lay with rails; "hundreds of miles were railed out here" 8: fish with a handline over the rails of a boat; "They are railing for fresh fish" 9: spread negative information about; "The Nazi propaganda vilified the Jews" [syn: vilify, revile, vituperate, rail] 10: criticize severely; "He fulminated against the Republicans' plan to cut Medicare"; "She railed against the bad social policies" [syn: fulminate, rail]
  • regale
    v 1: provide with choice or abundant food or drink; "Don't worry about the expensive wine--I'm treating"; "She treated her houseguests with good food every night" [syn: regale, treat]
  • resale
    n 1: the selling of something purchased
  • retail
    adv 1: at a retail price; "I'll sell it to you retail only" [ant: wholesale] n 1: the selling of goods to consumers; usually in small quantities and not for resale [ant: wholesale] v 1: be sold at the retail level; "These gems retail at thousands of dollars each" 2: sell on the retail market [ant: wholesale]
  • ringtail
    n 1: raccoon-like omnivorous mammal of Mexico and the southwestern United States having a long bushy tail with black and white rings [syn: bassarisk, cacomistle, cacomixle, coon cat, raccoon fox, ringtail, ring- tailed cat, civet cat, miner's cat, Bassariscus astutus] 2: North American raccoon [syn: common raccoon, common racoon, coon, ringtail, Procyon lotor] 3: monkey of Central America and South America having thick hair on the head that resembles a monk's cowl [syn: capuchin, ringtail, Cebus capucinus] 4: an immature golden eagle
  • sail
    n 1: a large piece of fabric (usually canvas fabric) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel [syn: sail, canvas, canvass, sheet] 2: an ocean trip taken for pleasure [syn: cruise, sail] 3: any structure that resembles a sail v 1: traverse or travel on (a body of water); "We sailed the Atlantic"; "He sailed the Pacific all alone" 2: move with sweeping, effortless, gliding motions; "The diva swept into the room"; "Shreds of paper sailed through the air"; "The searchlights swept across the sky" [syn: sweep, sail] 3: travel on water propelled by wind; "I love sailing, especially on the open sea"; "the ship sails on" 4: travel on water propelled by wind or by other means; "The QE2 will sail to Southampton tomorrow" [syn: voyage, sail, navigate]
  • sale
    n 1: a particular instance of selling; "he has just made his first sale"; "they had to complete the sale before the banks closed" 2: the general activity of selling; "they tried to boost sales"; "laws limit the sale of handguns" 3: an occasion (usually brief) for buying at specially reduced prices; "they held a sale to reduce their inventory"; "I got some great bargains at their annual sale" [syn: sale, cut- rate sale, sales event] 4: the state of being purchasable; offered or exhibited for selling; "you'll find vitamin C for sale at most pharmacies"; "the new line of cars will soon be on sale" 5: an agreement (or contract) in which property is transferred from the seller (vendor) to the buyer (vendee) for a fixed price in money (paid or agreed to be paid by the buyer); "the salesman faxed the sales agreement to his home office" [syn: sale, sales agreement]
  • scale
    n 1: an ordered reference standard; "judging on a scale of 1 to 10" [syn: scale, scale of measurement, graduated table, ordered series] 2: relative magnitude; "they entertained on a grand scale" 3: the ratio between the size of something and a representation of it; "the scale of the map"; "the scale of the model" 4: a specialized leaf or bract that protects a bud or catkin [syn: scale, scale leaf] 5: a thin flake of dead epidermis shed from the surface of the skin [syn: scale, scurf, exfoliation] 6: (music) a series of notes differing in pitch according to a specific scheme (usually within an octave) [syn: scale, musical scale] 7: a measuring instrument for weighing; shows amount of mass [syn: scale, weighing machine] 8: an indicator having a graduated sequence of marks 9: a metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners) [syn: plate, scale, shell] 10: a flattened rigid plate forming part of the body covering of many animals v 1: measure by or as if by a scale; "This bike scales only 25 pounds" 2: pattern, make, regulate, set, measure, or estimate according to some rate or standard 3: take by attacking with scaling ladders; "The troops scaled the walls of the fort" 4: reach the highest point of; "We scaled the Mont Blanc" [syn: scale, surmount] 5: climb up by means of a ladder 6: remove the scales from; "scale fish" [syn: scale, descale] 7: measure with or as if with scales; "scale the gold" 8: size or measure according to a scale; "This model must be scaled down"
  • shale
    n 1: a sedimentary rock formed by the deposition of successive layers of clay
  • snail
    n 1: freshwater or marine or terrestrial gastropod mollusk usually having an external enclosing spiral shell 2: edible terrestrial snail usually served in the shell with a sauce of melted butter and garlic [syn: escargot, snail] v 1: gather snails; "We went snailing in the summer"
  • stale
    adj 1: lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age; "stale bread"; "the beer was stale" [ant: fresh] 2: lacking originality or spontaneity; no longer new; "moth- eaten theories about race"; "stale news" [syn: cold, stale, dusty, moth-eaten] v 1: urinate, of cattle and horses
  • swale
    n 1: a low area (especially a marshy area between ridges)
  • tail
    n 1: the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body 2: the time of the last part of something; "the fag end of this crisis-ridden century"; "the tail of the storm" [syn: fag end, tail, tail end] 3: any projection that resembles the tail of an animal [syn: tail, tail end] 4: the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on; "he deserves a good kick in the butt"; "are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?" [syn: buttocks, nates, arse, butt, backside, bum, buns, can, fundament, hindquarters, hind end, keister, posterior, prat, rear, rear end, rump, stern, seat, tail, tail end, tooshie, tush, bottom, behind, derriere, fanny, ass] 5: a spy employed to follow someone and report their movements [syn: tail, shadow, shadower] 6: (usually plural) the reverse side of a coin that does not bear the representation of a person's head [ant: head] 7: the rear part of an aircraft [syn: tail, tail assembly, empennage] 8: the rear part of a ship [syn: stern, after part, quarter, poop, tail] v 1: go after with the intent to catch; "The policeman chased the mugger down the alley"; "the dog chased the rabbit" [syn: chase, chase after, trail, tail, tag, give chase, dog, go after, track] 2: remove or shorten the tail of an animal [syn: dock, tail, bob] 3: remove the stalk of fruits or berries
  • tale
    n 1: a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program; "his narrative was interesting"; "Disney's stories entertain adults as well as children" [syn: narrative, narration, story, tale] 2: a trivial lie; "he told a fib about eating his spinach"; "how can I stop my child from telling stories?" [syn: fib, story, tale, tarradiddle, taradiddle]
  • telltale
    adj 1: disclosing unintentionally; "a telling smile"; "a telltale panel of lights"; "a telltale patch of oil on the water marked where the boat went down" [syn: revealing, telling, telltale(a)] n 1: someone who gossips indiscreetly [syn: tattletale, tattler, taleteller, talebearer, telltale, blabbermouth]
  • thumbnail
    n 1: the nail of the thumb
  • toenail
    n 1: the nail at the end of a toe v 1: drive obliquely; "toe a nail" [syn: toe, toenail]
  • topsail
    n 1: a sail (or either of a pair of sails) immediately above the lowermost sail of a mast and supported by a topmast
  • trail
    n 1: a track or mark left by something that has passed; "there as a trail of blood"; "a tear left its trail on her cheek" 2: a path or track roughly blazed through wild or hilly country 3: evidence pointing to a possible solution; "the police are following a promising lead"; "the trail led straight to the perpetrator" [syn: lead, track, trail] v 1: to lag or linger behind; "But in so many other areas we still are dragging" [syn: drag, trail, get behind, hang back, drop behind, drop back] 2: go after with the intent to catch; "The policeman chased the mugger down the alley"; "the dog chased the rabbit" [syn: chase, chase after, trail, tail, tag, give chase, dog, go after, track] 3: move, proceed, or walk draggingly or slowly; "John trailed behind his class mates"; "The Mercedes trailed behind the horse cart" [syn: trail, shack] 4: hang down so as to drag along the ground; "The bride's veiled trailed along the ground" 5: drag loosely along a surface; allow to sweep the ground; "The toddler was trailing his pants"; "She trained her long scarf behind her" [syn: trail, train]
  • travail
    n 1: concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child; "she was in labor for six hours" [syn: parturiency, labor, labour, confinement, lying-in, travail, childbed] 2: use of physical or mental energy; hard work; "he got an A for effort"; "they managed only with great exertion" [syn: effort, elbow grease, exertion, travail, sweat] v 1: work hard; "She was digging away at her math homework"; "Lexicographers drudge all day long" [syn: labor, labour, toil, fag, travail, grind, drudge, dig, moil]
  • unveil
    v 1: remove the veil from; "Women must not unveil themselves in public in Islamic societies" [ant: veil] 2: make visible; "Summer brings out bright clothes"; "He brings out the best in her" [syn: uncover, bring out, unveil, reveal] 3: remove the cover from; "unveil a painting"
  • vale
    n 1: a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river [syn: valley, vale]
  • veil
    n 1: a garment that covers the head and face [syn: head covering, veil] 2: a membranous covering attached to the immature fruiting body of certain mushrooms [syn: veil, velum] 3: the inner membrane of embryos in higher vertebrates (especially when covering the head at birth) [syn: caul, veil, embryonic membrane] 4: a vestment worn by a priest at High Mass in the Roman Catholic Church; a silk shawl [syn: humeral veil, veil] v 1: to obscure, or conceal with or as if with a veil; "women in Afghanistan veil their faces" [ant: unveil] 2: make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing; "a hidden message"; "a veiled threat" [syn: obscure, blot out, obliterate, veil, hide]
  • wagtail
    n 1: Old World bird having a very long tail that jerks up and down as it walks
  • wail
    n 1: a cry of sorrow and grief; "their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward" [syn: lament, lamentation, plaint, wail] v 1: emit long loud cries; "wail in self-pity"; "howl with sorrow" [syn: howl, ululate, wail, roar, yawl, yaup] 2: cry weakly or softly; "she wailed with pain" [syn: wail, whimper, mewl, pule]
  • wale
    n 1: a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions [syn: wale, welt, weal, wheal] 2: thick plank forming a ridge along the side of a wooden ship [syn: wale, strake]
  • whale
    n 1: a very large person; impressive in size or qualities [syn: giant, hulk, heavyweight, whale] 2: any of the larger cetacean mammals having a streamlined body and breathing through a blowhole on the head v 1: hunt for whales
  • wholesale
    adv 1: at a wholesale price; "I can sell it to you wholesale" [ant: retail] 2: on a large scale without careful discrimination; "I buy food wholesale" [syn: wholesale, in large quantities] adj 1: ignoring distinctions; "sweeping generalizations"; "wholesale destruction" [syn: sweeping, wholesale] n 1: the selling of goods to merchants; usually in large quantities for resale to consumers [ant: retail] v 1: sell in large quantities [ant: retail]
  • taffrail
    n 1: the railing around the stern of a ship
  • dail
    n 1: the lower house of the parliament of the Irish Republic [syn: Dail Eireann, Dail]
  • gael
    n 1: a Gaelic-speaking Celt in Ireland or Scotland or the Isle of Man
  • kail
    n 1: a hardy cabbage with coarse curly leaves that do not form a head [syn: kale, kail, cole, borecole, colewort, Brassica oleracea acephala] 2: coarse curly-leafed cabbage [syn: kale, kail, cole]
  • yale
    n 1: a university in Connecticut [syn: Yale University, Yale] 2: English philanthropist who made contributions to a college in Connecticut that was renamed in his honor (1649-1721) [syn: Yale, Elihu Yale]
  • carrell
    n 1: small individual study area in a library [syn: carrel, carrell, cubicle, stall]
  • jarrell
    n 1: United States poet (1914-1965) [syn: Jarrell, Randall Jarrell]
  • surveil
    v 1: keep under surveillance; "The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing" [syn: surveil, follow, survey]
  • airedale
    n 1: breed of large wiry-coated terrier bred in Yorkshire [syn: Airedale, Airedale terrier]
  • blacktail
    n 1: mule deer of western Rocky Mountains [syn: black-tailed deer, blacktail deer, blacktail, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus]

See also avail definition and avail synonyms