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:
The work behind the compound began nearly 20 years ago, when Quitterer received brain tissue samples from patients treated by a doctor and colleague at Ain Shams University Hospital in Cairo.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Senne Lammens was excellent in his debut campaign but has just two seasons as a first-choice senior goalkeeper behind him and his unhappy World Cup experience proved he can make major mistakes.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Anderson aims to better focus the business and rally Golden Arches franchisees behind a new corporate strategy promising better food and service, including enhanced training.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The science behind the Mediterranean diet is clear, yet it’s hard for many Americans to engage with the Mediterranean diet the way they should.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
I get so lost in playing that I don’t hear Dad until he’s right behind me.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Elvis biographer Peter Guralnick explains the truth behinds some of the popular myths about Colonel Tom Parker, the blustery operator that shepherded the king’s career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2025
"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
And sure, the students might not read it—but it’s a crucial way for faculty to cover their own behinds at grading time, or at least point to when they start to get letters.
From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2022
None of them knew so much as how to wipe their behinds.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
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.
