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rearward

[ reer-werd for 1-4; reer-wawrd for 5 ]
/ ˈrɪər wərd for 1-4; ˈrɪər wɔrd for 5 /
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adverb
Also rearwards. toward or in the rear.
adjective
located in, near, or toward the rear.
directed toward the rear.
noun
a position at the rear: in the rearward of fashion.
Also Obsolete, rere·ward . the rear division of a military unit; rear guard.
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Origin of rearward

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English rerewarde, from Anglo-French. See rear1, -ward

OTHER WORDS FROM rearward

rear·ward·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rearward in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rearward

rearward
/ (ˈrɪəwəd) /

adjective, adverb
towards or in the rearAlso (for adverb only): rearwards
noun
a position in the rear, esp the rear division of a military formation

Word Origin for rearward

C14 (as a noun: the part of an army positioned behind the main body of troops): from Anglo-French rerewarde, variant of reregarde; see rearguard
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
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