behind
Americanpreposition
-
at or toward the rear of.
Look behind the house.
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not keeping up with, later than; after.
behind schedule.
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in the state of making less progress than.
We can't afford to fall behind our competitors.
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on the farther side of; beyond.
behind the mountain.
-
originating, supporting, or promoting.
Who's behind this program?
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hidden or unrevealed by.
Malice lay behind her smile.
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at the controls of.
behind the wheel of a car.
adverb
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at or toward the rear; rearward.
to lag behind.
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in a place, state, or stage already passed.
-
in arrears; behindhand.
to be behind in one's rent.
-
slow, as a watch or clock.
more than 20 minutes behind.
-
as a cause or often latent feature of.
Behind their harassment lay the traditional fear of foreigners.
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in a situation that exists afterward.
The victim left behind a large family.
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Archaic. in reserve; to come.
Greater support is yet behind.
adjective
noun
preposition
-
in or to a position further back than; at the rear of; at the back of
-
in the past in relation to
I've got the exams behind me now
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late according to; not keeping up with
running behind schedule
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concerning the circumstances surrounding
the reasons behind his departure
-
backing or supporting
I'm right behind you in your application
adverb
-
in or to a position further back; following
-
remaining after someone's departure
he left it behind
-
in debt; in arrears
to fall behind with payments
adjective
noun
-
informal the buttocks
-
Australian rules football a score of one point made by kicking the ball over the behind line between a goalpost and one of the smaller outer posts ( behind posts )
Usage
See back 1.
Related Words
Behind, after both refer to a position following something else. Behind applies primarily to position in space, and suggests that one person or thing is at the back of another; it may also refer to (a fixed) time: He stood behind the chair. You are behind the appointed time. After applies primarily to time; when it denotes position in space, it is not used with precision, and refers usually to bodies in motion: Rest after a hard day's work. They entered the room, one after another.
Etymology
Origin of behind
First recorded before 900; Middle English behinde(n), Old English behindan; equivalent to be- + hind 1; for adverb suffix -an, before
Explanation
When one thing is behind another, it's at the rear or the far side of it, possibly even hidden by it. Your shy dog might tend to stand behind you when you meet a friend on your walk. When the sun hides behind a cloud, the cloud is in front of it, and when there's fear lurking behind your cheerful smile, the grin is disguising, or covering, your anxiety. Behind can also mean "supporting," as when you're a hundred percent behind your sister's campaign for school president; or "lagging," as when you say: "Slow down! I'm way behind in this race!" Finally, behind is a gentle slang term for "buttocks."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The findings point to human interaction, rather than isolation, as a key force behind early technological and cultural progress, with the Levant acting as a major crossroads in human history.
From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026
Visitor numbers declined, the technology behind the show had become outdated and the Heritage Centre which housed it was struggling financially.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
Key would give the Sparks some size off the bench behind Cameron Brink, Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
Vitol scrambled to replace cargoes trapped behind Iran’s Hormuz blockade.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
“Five minutes left!” announces the game attendant from his place behind the counter.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
