straggle

About 0.16 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. verb To stray, rove, or wander from a normal course and others of its kind.

   He straggled away from the crowd and went off on his own.

2. verb To act in a disorderly and irregular way.
3. verb Grow or hang messily.

   The roses had been allowed to straggle across the path.

4. verb To move along slowly so as to remain some distance behind the person or people in front.
5. noun An irregular, spread-out group.
6. noun An outlier; something that has strayed beyond the normal limits.

Similar words

stray sprawl depart digress sidetrack tail wander estray vague stroll

Often followed by

of in for into back out along with to

Word family

straggled straggler stragglers straggles straggling