rear end

¹ American  

noun

1. the hindmost part of something.

2. Informal. the buttocks; behind.

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rear-end ² American  

[reer-end] / ˈrɪərˈɛnd /

verb (used with object)

1. to drive a vehicle or other conveyance so as to strike the back end of (another vehicle).

   My car was rear-ended by another driver on the highway.

2. (of a moving vehicle or other conveyance) to strike the back end of (another vehicle or object).

   A freight train rear-ended the commuter train this morning.

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rear end Idioms  

1. The back part of anything, especially a vehicle, as in There's a large dent in the rear end of the car .

2. The buttocks, as in I'm afraid these pants don't fit my rear end . The noun rear alone has been used in both these senses, the first since the late 1700s and the second since the mid-1900s. The addition of end occurred in the first half of the 1900s.

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Etymology

Origin of rear end¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Origin of rear-end²

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

A fourth person would work the two back legs and another puppeteer would work the rear end.

From Los Angeles Times

The brightest region within the nebula is called IC 2948, where some people see the chicken's head and others its rear end.

From Science Daily

Taylor explained that humans had used pads, a form of proto-saddle, to keep their rear ends comfortable on horseback since the earliest days of mounted riding.

From Science Daily

“This is a real honor to serve here,” he said, “But it’s also a pain in the rear end.”

From Seattle Times

Recently, Scooter was given a special tool that makes his life a lot easier – a cart with wheels that attaches to his rear end.

From NewsForKids.net

Related Words

• posterior