rear

¹ American  

[reer] / rɪər /

noun

• rears
  plural

1. the back of something, as distinguished from the front.

   The porch is at the rear of the house.

2. the space or position behind something.

   The bus driver asked the passengers to move to the rear.

3. the buttocks; rump.

4. the hindmost portion of an army, fleet, etc.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or situated at the rear of something.

   the rear door of a bus.

idioms

1. bring up the rear, to be at the end; follow behind.

   The army retreated, and the fleeing civilian population brought up the rear.

rear ² American  

[reer] / rɪər /

verb (used with object)

• rears,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reared,
  past participle,  past
• rearing
  present participle

1. to take care of and support up to maturity.

   to rear a child.

   Synonyms:

   raise, nurture

2. to breed and raise (livestock).

3. to raise by building; erect.

   Synonyms:

   construct

4. to raise to an upright position.

   to rear a ladder.

5. to lift or hold up; elevate; raise.

   Synonyms:

   lift, hoist

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verb (used without object)

• rears,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reared,
  past participle,  past
• rearing
  present participle

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

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

3. to rise high or tower aloft.

   The skyscraper rears high over the neighboring buildings.

idioms

1. rear its (ugly) head. head.

rear ¹ British  

/ rɪə /

noun

1. the back or hind part

2. the area or position that lies at the back

   a garden at the rear of the house

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

4. the buttocks See buttock

5. to be at the back in a procession, race, etc

6. at the back

7. (modifier) of or in the rear

   the rear legs

   the rear side

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rear ² British  

/ rɪə /

verb

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

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

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

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

5. (esp of horses) to lift the front legs in the air and stand nearly upright

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

7. (intr) to start with anger, resentment, etc

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rear More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing rear

• bring up the rear

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Commonly Confused

See raise.

Synonym Usage

See back ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rearer
  noun
• unreared
  adjective
• well-reared
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rears
  plural

Participles

• rearing
  present
• reared
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• rear
  simple
• rears
  simple
• have reared
  perfect
• has reared
  perfect
• am rearing
  progressive
• are rearing
  progressive
• is rearing
  progressive
• have been rearing
  perfect progressive
• has been rearing
  perfect progressive

Past

• reared
  simple
• had reared
  perfect
• was rearing
  progressive
• were rearing
  progressive
• had been rearing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will rear
  simple
• will have reared
  perfect
• will be rearing
  progressive
• will have been rearing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of rear¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; shortened variant of arrear

Origin of rear²

First recorded before 900; Middle English reren, ræren, reare, Old English rǣran “to raise ”; cognate with Gothic -raisjan, Old Norse reisa

Explanation

The rear is the back end of something, like the rear of a school bus or the members of the marching band who stand at the rear of the parade. At the other end of something's front is its rear, whether it's a car or a line of people standing outside a theater. You can also use rear informally to mean "bottom" or "hindquarters," as an adjective meaning "toward the back," or as a verb: "The horses started to rear up on their back legs." The verb comes from a Germanic root meaning "to raise," while the noun is rooted in the Latin retro, "behind."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rear rears reared rearing

Mercedes have introduced their first major upgrade since the Canadian Grand Prix, with a new floor and rear bodywork.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Outside, the more than 1-acre property offers plenty of space and privacy, with no rear neighbors to interrupt its secluded feel.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

Televised images showed bomb-disposal robots approaching three white vans, which had rear back doors opened and items scattered on the ground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Broadcast aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot on a rural road moving around the vans, two of which had their rear doors open.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

Chase noticed the elephant had chains around her left front foot and right rear foot.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

But for the most part, Ferraiolo says, young people have a fear of missing out—a phenomenon that rears its head every time an investment soars, as seen in recent years with cryptocurrency and meme stocks.

From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026

Gold often reasserts its role as a safe harbor when uncertainty rears its head, drawing investors toward its stability as other assets wobble.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026

This is the dual state that you lived in, and that you worked in, and that must be called out unflinchingly whenever it rears its head, yet, paradoxically, also now more than ever.

From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2025

Real life, in short, rears its ugly head.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025

Sitting down on their rears, they would cry and beg for help.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

Insect larvae reared at higher temperatures will develop faster and reach pupation at a smaller size.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

The Medicare issue has also reared its head in recent times.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Their worlds collide when Pooja marries Arun – Kamlesh's brother-in-law that she reared as her own son.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026

For now, February’s retail figures stand as a snapshot of an economy that was briefly gathering strength, before war reared its head.

From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026

Josie reared back her head and yelled at the ceiling, “I hate the Whatnot Corporation!”

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

“Like in child rearing, one ‘talking-to’ might not be enough,” he said, referring to last week’s rate hike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

In the warm, dry spring a glut of glorious foundresses – new queens – emerged from hibernation to start their nests alone, carrying out all the nest building, egg laying, foraging and brood rearing.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

John does all that too, on top of his parents blasting all fear out of him while rearing him to expect the universe to be unforgiving.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

CJ7 and 022 had successfully bred at the nest site at Careys Secret Garden for three consecutive years, rearing three young in 2023, four in 2024 and a further four in 2025.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

But watching and making notes on the whole of the rearing will give you a real feeling of accomplishment.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

Related Words

• back
• back door
• back end
• backside
• bottom
• butt
• rear end
• tail