rear
1the 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.
pertaining to or situated at the rear of something: the rear door of a bus.
Idioms about 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
1synonym study For rear
Words Nearby rear
Other definitions for rear (2 of 2)
to take care of and support up to maturity: to rear a child.
to breed and raise (livestock).
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.
Origin of rear
2confusables note For rear
Other words for rear
Other words from rear
- un·reared, adjective
- well-reared, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use rear in a sentence
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 TechnicaBringing 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 | FiveThirtyEightThe 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 StudentsI’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 OnlineThe 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 | THE DAILY BEASTGeorge 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 | THE DAILY BEASTShouts 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 | THE DAILY BEASTAt the rear end of the park is a wall or divider maybe six or seven feet high and about twice that wide.
Kitty staggered around the corner to the rear of her building, trying to make it home.
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. SinclairHe 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 ChopinIf we had shot 'em without discrimination, the cowards would have got bold, seein' that they weren't safer in rear than in front.
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 HamiltonSo 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)
/ (rɪə) /
the back or hind part
the area or position that lies at the back: a garden at the rear of the house
the section of a military force or procession farthest from the front
the buttocks: See 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 rear: the rear legs; the rear side
Origin of rear
1British Dictionary definitions for rear (2 of 2)
/ (rɪə) /
(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
Origin of rear
2Derived forms of rear
- rearer, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with rear
In addition to the idioms beginning with rear
- rear end
- rear its ugly head
also see:
- bring up the rear
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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