rear

[ reer ]

/ rɪər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: rear / reared / rearing on Thesaurus.com

noun

the back of something, as distinguished from the front: The porch is at the rear of the house.

the space or position behind something: The bus driver asked the passengers to move to the rear.

the buttocks; rump.

the hindmost portion of an army, fleet, etc.

adjective

pertaining to or situated at the rear of something: the rear door of a bus.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar Coach

Improve Your Writing

Idioms for rear

bring up the rear, to be at the end; follow behind: The army retreated, and the fleeing civilian population brought up the rear.

Origin of rear

First recorded in 1590–1600; aphetic variant of arrear

synonym study for rear

5. See back¹.

Words nearby rear

reappoint, reapportion, reapportionment, reappraisal, reappraise, rear, Rear Adm., rear admiral, Reardon, rear echelon, rear end

Definition for rear (2 of 2)

rear²

[ reer ]

/ rɪər /

verb (used with object)

to take care of and support up to maturity: to rear a child.

to breed and raise (livestock).

to raise by building; erect.

to raise to an upright position: to rear a ladder.

to lift or hold up; elevate; raise.

verb (used without object)

to rise on the hind legs, as a horse or other animal.

(of a person) to start up in angry excitement, hot resentment, or the like (usually followed by up).

to rise high or tower aloft: The skyscraper rears high over the neighboring buildings.

SYNONYMS FOR rear

1 nurture, raise.

3 construct.

5 loft.

See synonyms for rear on Thesaurus.com

Origin of rear

before 900; Middle English reren,Old English rǣran to raise; cognate with Gothic -raisjan,Old Norse reisa

words often confused with rear

1. See raise.

OTHER WORDS FROM rear

un·reared, adjectivewell-reared, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for rear

There are drive units for front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, and an assist all-wheel drive unit, and then a pair of drive units for trucks.
This is GM’s new series of Ultium Drive electric motors|Jonathan M. Gitlin|September 17, 2020|Ars Technica
Bringing up the rear, the Jaguars are clearly rebuilding after purging pretty much everyone associated with their 2017 AFC title game run over the past couple of years.
What To Watch For In An Abnormally Normal 2020 NFL Season|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 9, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The beetles start the process by releasing a mix of hot, noxious chemicals from their rear ends.
Some beetles can be eaten by a frog, then walk out the other end|Jonathan Lambert|September 4, 2020|Science News For Students
I’m right-handed and carry my knife in my right pocket, so I like my knife clips to mount to the rear of my knife’s handle, on the right side.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying a Knife|Wes Siler|September 3, 2020|Outside Online

The big difference is that mid-drive motors apply power through the drivetrain, while hub motors do so directly through the wheel, usually the rear.
Do You Want to Buy an E-Cargo Bike? Read This First.|Joe Lindsey|August 30, 2020|Outside Online
What if you just want eyes on the back of your head, you want forward and rear-facing cameras?
All Your Internet Boyfriends Are Taken: Gosling, Cumberbatch, and now Joseph Gordon-Levitt|Melissa Leon|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
George Cook, a middle-age black man from the Bronx, brought up the rear.
‘They Let Him Off?’ Scenes from NYC in Disbelief|Jacob Siegel|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Shouts came from the rear of the crowd for “no violence,” shouts that went largely unheeded.
Mexican Protesters Look to Start a New Revolution|Jason McGahan|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the rear end of the park is a wall or divider maybe six or seven feet high and about twice that wide.
Inside Hebron, Israel’s Heart of Darkness|Michael Tomasky|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kitty staggered around the corner to the rear of her building, trying to make it home.
The Myth of the Central Park Five|Edward Conlon|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the bright glow of a little cascade of sparks pierced the darkness, a voice in our rear called sharply: "Hands up!"
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
He went himself to the kitchen, which was a building apart from the cottages and lying to the rear of the house.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
If we had shot 'em without discrimination, the cowards would have got bold, seein' that they weren't safer in rear than in front.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Going back we had some long range shots with the 15-inch guns at batteries in rear of Achi Baba.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
So Lawrence find Harry rode ahead, the squad some fifteen or twenty paces in the rear, leisurely following.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn

British Dictionary definitions for rear (1 of 2)

rear¹

/ (rɪə) /

noun

the back or hind part

the area or position that lies at the backa garden at the rear of the house

the section of a military force or procession farthest from the front

the buttocksSee buttock

bring up the rear to be at the back in a procession, race, etc

in the rear at the back

(modifier) of or in the rearthe rear legs; the rear side

Word Origin for rear

C17: probably abstracted from rearward or rearguard

British Dictionary definitions for rear (2 of 2)

rear²

/ (rɪə) /

verb

(tr) to care for and educate (children) until maturity; bring up; raise

(tr) to breed (animals) or grow (plants)

(tr) to place or lift (a ladder, etc) upright

(tr) to erect (a monument, building, etc); put up

(intr often foll by up) (esp of horses) to lift the front legs in the air and stand nearly upright

(intr ; often foll by up or over) (esp of tall buildings) to rise high; tower

(intr) to start with anger, resentment, etc

Derived forms of rear

rearer, noun

Word Origin for rear

Old English rǣran; related to Old High German rēren to distribute, Old Norse reisa to raise

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

Idioms and Phrases with rear

rear

In addition to the idioms beginning with rear

rear end
rear its ugly head

also see:

bring up the rear

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

rear