hindmost
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of hindmost
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English. See hind 1, -most
Explanation
The hindmost of something is the part that's farthest back, like the caboose of a train, the tail of a plane, or an elephant's great big...rear end. Breaking down the meaning of hindmost is a pretty simple affair, since hind means "rear" (a dog's hind legs are its back legs) and most means, well, "most." It should also come as no surprise that handy synonyms for hindmost include backmost, rearmost, and endmost. The phrase "devil take the hindmost" refers to a self-serving attitude without regard for others.
Vocabulary lists containing hindmost
100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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The Return of the King
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"Watership Down" by Richard Adams, Chapters 24-29
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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.
And today’s quick-buck mentality is in a hurry to extract and burn as much carbon as possible, devil take the hindmost.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 19, 2019
In this article, the writer points out data that suggests defense lawyers who streamline for the sake of efficiency get more cases--devil take the hindmost.
From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2018
Why not just tell it with the bark off, and let the Devil take the hindmost?
From Washington Times • Dec. 27, 2016
In the broadest sense, the voters have understood that the era of "grab what you can" and the devil take the hindmost, whether that means one's fellow citizens or the planet, is over.
From The Guardian • May 24, 2010
The others pressed on, but he was ever hindmost, pursued by a groping horror that seemed always just about to seize him; and a rumour came after him like the shadow-sound of many feet.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
