behind
Americanpreposition
-
at or toward the rear of.
Look behind the house.
-
not keeping up with, later than; after.
behind schedule.
-
in the state of making less progress than.
We can't afford to fall behind our competitors.
-
on the farther side of; beyond.
behind the mountain.
-
originating, supporting, or promoting.
Who's behind this program?
-
hidden or unrevealed by.
Malice lay behind her smile.
-
at the controls of.
behind the wheel of a car.
adverb
-
at or toward the rear; rearward.
to lag behind.
-
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.
-
in a situation that exists afterward.
The victim left behind a large family.
-
Archaic. in reserve; to come.
Greater support is yet behind.
adjective
noun
-
behinds
plural
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
-
late according to; not keeping up with
running behind schedule
-
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.
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of behind
First recorded before 900; Middle English behinde(n), Old English behindan; equivalent to be- + hind 1; for adverb suffix -an, cf. 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.
See Examples For:
One catch: The company behind the product, Aviva, could periodically lower the portion of market gains Elliott received.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
In a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday, manager Xabi Alonso finally found the control and stability required behind his free-scoring attacking trio of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
The men behind Gatalog and its sister site, CtrlPew, went to federal court in Orlando, Fla., to try to block that assertion, saying California’s suit interfered with their constitutional rights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
They don’t get paid for time spent behind the wheel waiting for trip requests, or driving back from a distant drop-off with an empty back seat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
“May I ask what’s got you so busy that you’ve fallen behind on your schoolwork?”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
“They need to get off their behinds and get in the voting booth and vote. It’s the only way we’re going to turn this around now,” he said.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
"It is the first moment that separates our heads from our behinds."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 23, 2024
Research published Thursday in the journal Science suggests they feed their hatchlings a milk-like substance too, but from their behinds.
From New York Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
Though curious and wide-ranging in her investigation, Radke chose to leave some behinds behind.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 25, 2022
Bailey and I sat alone on the front bench, the wooden slats pressing hard on our behinds and the backs of our thighs.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
