rear

¹ American  

[reer] / rɪər /

noun

rears plural

1. the back of something, as distinguished from the front.

   The porch is at the rear of the house.

2. the space or position behind something.

   The bus driver asked the passengers to move to the rear.

3. the buttocks; rump.

4. the hindmost portion of an army, fleet, etc.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or situated at the rear of something.

   the rear door of a bus.

idioms

1. bring up the rear, to be at the end; follow behind.

   The army retreated, and the fleeing civilian population brought up the rear.

rear ² American  

[reer] / rɪər /

verb (used with object)

rears, present (3rd person singular) reared, past participle, past rearing present participle

1. to take care of and support up to maturity.

   to rear a child.

   Synonyms:

   raise, nurture

2. to breed and raise (livestock).

3. to raise by building; erect.

   Synonyms:

   construct

4. to raise to an upright position.

   to rear a ladder.

5. to lift or hold up; elevate; raise.

   Synonyms:

   lift, hoist

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verb (used without object)

rears, present (3rd person singular) reared, past participle, past rearing present participle

1. to rise on the hind legs, as a horse or other animal.

2. (of a person) to start up in angry excitement, hot resentment, or the like (usually followed byup ).

3. to rise high or tower aloft.

   The skyscraper rears high over the neighboring buildings.

idioms

1. rear its (ugly) head. head.

rear ¹ British  

/ rɪə /

noun

1. the back or hind part

2. the area or position that lies at the back

   a garden at the rear of the house

3. the section of a military force or procession farthest from the front

4. the buttocks See buttock

5. to be at the back in a procession, race, etc

6. at the back

7. (modifier) of or in the rear

   the rear legs

   the rear side

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rear ² British  

/ rɪə /

verb

1. (tr) to care for and educate (children) until maturity; bring up; raise

2. (tr) to breed (animals) or grow (plants)

3. (tr) to place or lift (a ladder, etc) upright

4. (tr) to erect (a monument, building, etc); put up

5. (esp of horses) to lift the front legs in the air and stand nearly upright

6. (intr; often foll by up or over) (esp of tall buildings) to rise high; tower

7. (intr) to start with anger, resentment, etc

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rear More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing rear

• bring up the rear

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Commonly Confused

See raise.

Synonym Usage

See back ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rearer
  noun
• unreared
  adjective
• well-reared
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rears
  plural

Participles

• rearing
  present
• reared
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• rear
  simple
• rears
  simple
• have reared
  perfect
• has reared
  perfect
• am rearing
  progressive
• are rearing
  progressive
• is rearing
  progressive
• have been rearing
  perfect progressive
• has been rearing
  perfect progressive

Past

• reared
  simple
• had reared
  perfect
• was rearing
  progressive
• were rearing
  progressive
• had been rearing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will rear
  simple
• will have reared
  perfect
• will be rearing
  progressive
• will have been rearing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of rear¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; shortened variant of arrear

Origin of rear²

First recorded before 900; Middle English reren, ræren, reare, Old English rǣran “to raise ”; cognate with Gothic -raisjan, Old Norse reisa

Explanation

The rear is the back end of something, like the rear of a school bus or the members of the marching band who stand at the rear of the parade. At the other end of something's front is its rear, whether it's a car or a line of people standing outside a theater. You can also use rear informally to mean "bottom" or "hindquarters," as an adjective meaning "toward the back," or as a verb: "The horses started to rear up on their back legs." The verb comes from a Germanic root meaning "to raise," while the noun is rooted in the Latin retro, "behind."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rear rears reared rearing

At the rear of the hospital, grey coffins with gilded bas-reliefs emerged before the cameras of dozens of journalists.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

As it backed into a gate at the rear of the empty museum, the truck was greeted by a handful of staff and a small media contingent including AFP journalists.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

The parked car sustained “major rear damage,” and its front tire was “forced onto the curb.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026

A man got out of the rear of the car and ran towards Killeavy Castle.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

A few kids chased one another with sticks and clacked on roller skates at the rear of the pavilion.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

But for the most part, Ferraiolo says, young people have a fear of missing out—a phenomenon that rears its head every time an investment soars, as seen in recent years with cryptocurrency and meme stocks.

From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026

Zamrock - with its heady blend of psychedelic rock and traditional Zambian sounds - rears its head on Can't Hold Us, the first single to be released from Sampa's upcoming album.

From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2025

The thing is, it always rears its ugly side.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

This is the dual state that you lived in, and that you worked in, and that must be called out unflinchingly whenever it rears its head, yet, paradoxically, also now more than ever.

From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2025

The hoof-head rears, squealing like a mouse, then bounds away from me.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Bodexpress was the last to try, in 2019, but he reared leaving the starting gate and dumped his jockey.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

Patel’s instinct to use force to fix his reputation reared its head again with the girlfriend scandal.

From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026

Their worlds collide when Pooja marries Arun – Kamlesh's brother-in-law that she reared as her own son.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026

For now, February’s retail figures stand as a snapshot of an economy that was briefly gathering strength, before war reared its head.

From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026

When he reached Toomer, he reared back on his hind legs and lifted his head to be scratched by the black man.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Now those fears seem to be rearing their head once more.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

Scientific studies have shown that as fathers have taken a more active role in child rearing, they’ve faced loneliness, doubt and confusion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

Back in 2019, standing on that Dongguan campus with white marble horses rearing in front of a French neoclassical facade, Huawei’s defiance felt like a genuine statement of strength.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

CJ7 and 022 have already successfully bred at the nest site at Careys Secret Garden for three consecutive years, rearing three young in 2023, four in 2024 and a further four in 2025.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Instantly the stallion burst forth, rearing in triumph.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• back
• back door
• back end
• backside
• bottom
• butt
• rear end
• tail