The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Straggle \Strag"gle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Straggled; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Straggling.] [Freq. of OE. straken to roam, to
   stroke. See Stroke, v. t.]
   1. 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.
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   2. To wander at large; to roam idly about; to ramble.
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            The wolf spied out a straggling kid.  --L'Estrange.
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   3. 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.
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            Trim off the small, superfluous branches on each
            side of the hedge that straggle too far out.
                                                  --Mortimer.
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   4. To be dispersed or separated; to occur at intervals.
      "Straggling pistol shots." --Sir W. Scott.
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            They came between Scylla and Charybdis and the
            straggling rocks.                     --Sir W.
                                                  Raleigh.
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