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• rear end
  rear end

  noun

  the hindmost part of something.
• rear-end
  rear-end

  verb (used with object)

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

rear end

¹ American  

noun

• rear ends
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• rear ends
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of rear end¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Origin of rear-end²

First recorded in 1975–80

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rear end rear-end

The updated taillight assemblies and deck lid treatment luxe up the rear end nicely.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Ferrari describes its new electric vehicle as a "glass house", with headlights that are invisible when switched off, and a rear end reminiscent of famous models such as the 360 Modena.

From Barron's ● May 26, 2026

A hermit crab will inspect a shell with care, running antennae and claws over its contours, before delicately lowering its rear end into the aperture.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025

The sedan spun around, its rear end swinging toward me at incredible speed.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

Related: ‘I didn’t ask a man to rear-end my car’: Social Security is replacing my disability benefits.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 12, 2026

“I didn’t ask a man to rear-end my car at a red light.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026

Giuliani, 81, was hospitalized in New Hampshire after a rear-end collision.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2025

Lewis Hamilton was sixth fastest, 0.306secs slower than team-mate Leclerc and appearing to struggle with rear-end stability on the evidence of several oversteer snaps that sent him into the run-off area at the chicane.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2025

Before we can make it to the guest room, Grandma freezes in the hall and I almost rear-end her.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

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