rear

[ reer ]

/ rɪər /

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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.

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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

First recorded in 1590–1600; shortened variant of arrear

synonym study for rear

5. See back¹.

Other definitions 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR rear

1 nurture, raise.

3 construct.

5 hoist, lift.

See synonyms for rear on Thesaurus.com

Origin of rear

First recorded before 900; Middle English reren, ræren, reare, 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. 2023

How to use rear in a sentence

As they go to grab it, they bring their tail up and in, using their rear to scoop up the worm.
Here’s what bats ‘see’ when they explore the world with sound|Carolyn Wilke|October 29, 2020|Science News For Students
Ibis offers the “Roxy tune,” adjusting the rear shock so that smaller riders can enjoy optimal suspension engineering.
Short Cyclists Can Rip on 29ers, Too|Kelly Bastone|October 28, 2020|Outside Online
Google and a couple of Samsung events brought up the rear, critiqued for having more advertising-like presentation styles.
Who wore it best? Rating Big Tech’s product debuts|Aaron Pressman|October 23, 2020|Fortune
But, the ability to individually power the rear wheels also allows the system to direct power to whichever of those has the most traction.
A First Look at the 2022 GMC Hummer EV (It's Awesome)|Wes Siler|October 21, 2020|Outside Online

It also has a “crab walk” feature that lets the front and rear wheels steer at the same angle at low speeds so it can move diagonally around obstacles.
An electric Hummer? Battery-powered trucks head to showrooms|Verne Kopytoff|October 21, 2020|Fortune
And then, at the close of our conversation, her punk roots reared their head like they had never disappeared.
A First Lady of Punk Rock Talks|Justin Jones|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even if they have been reared from a young age in captivity, news reports abound with animal attacks.
The $10 Billion Pet Cheetah and Chimp Industry|Sharon Adarlo|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But later in the segment, the shame of addiction reared its ugly head once more.
Coming Out of the Addiction Closet|Abby Haglage|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For a while, she fell into a depression and abandoned the churchgoing Methodist tradition in which she was reared.
Joy Reid, MSNBC Anchor, on the Racism of the Tea Party, Family Dramas, and Why She Loves Boxing|Lloyd Grove|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The animal reared up and threw Mr. Gracida before landing on top of him and killing him.
William and Harry's Polo Mentor Killed in Freak Accident|Tom Sykes|February 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Calling for his aunt, who had reared him, he moved forward as if to speak to her, but instead he bit off her ear.
The value of a praying mother|Isabel C. Byrum
Early left an orphan, he and his sister were reared by his grandfather on the maternal side.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
Strictly reared by a mother gentle and devout, and by a father hard and avaricious.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
If a man has taken a young child ‘from his waters’ to sonship, and has reared him up, no one has any claim against that nursling.
The Oldest Code of Laws in the World|Hammurabi, King of Babylon
Even when the Pharos was reared, the primitive mode of illumination by means of wood or coal was employed.
The Towns of Roman Britain|James Oliver Bevan

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

Other 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

rear

Idioms about rear

Origin of rear

synonym study for rear

Other definitions for rear (2 of 2)

OTHER WORDS FOR rear

Origin of rear

words often confused with rear

OTHER WORDS FROM rear

Words related to rear

How to use rear in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rear (1 of 2)

Word Origin for rear

British Dictionary definitions for rear (2 of 2)

Derived forms of rear

Word Origin for rear

Other Idioms and Phrases with rear