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hindbrain

American  
[hahynd-breyn] / ˈhaɪndˌbreɪn /

noun

Anatomy.
  1. the most posterior of the three primary divisions of the brain in the embryo of a vertebrate or the part of the adult brain derived from this tissue, including the cerebellum, pons, and medulla oblongata; rhombencephalon.


hindbrain British  
/ ˈhaɪndˌbreɪn /

noun

  1. the nontechnical name for rhombencephalon

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hindbrain Scientific  
/ hīndbrān′ /
  1. The rearmost part of the vertebrate brain. In humans, it consists of the pons and the medulla oblongata.

  2. Compare forebrain midbrain


Etymology

Origin of hindbrain

First recorded in 1885–90; hind 1 + brain

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:

Their results show that the hormone acts through the hindbrain, which is located in the lower back part of the brain.

From Science Daily Apr. 16, 2026

Something malicious and alive, an indicator of a deeper rot, has crept into your space while you weren’t paying attention, your pest-wary hindbrain yells.

From Salon Nov. 7, 2025

"We found that not only are the same genes but also the same cue is involved in sea lamprey hindbrain development, suggesting this process is ancestral to all vertebrates," said Bedois.

From Science Daily Feb. 21, 2024

However, these genes are part of an interconnected network or circuit that needs to be initiated and directed to build the hindbrain correctly.

From Science Daily Feb. 21, 2024

There were the cerebral lobes, or largest part of the forebrain, enormously developed and overhanging the cerebellum, or great lobe of the hindbrain, and completely covering the lobes of the midbrain.

From Byways of Ghost-Land by O'Donnell, Elliott

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