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

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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

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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

But Baker later removed the winch, jacked up the vehicle and placed skates beneath the rear wheels, it said.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

The “Thrust” package, which will see a limited release, comes with thrusters positioned on the rear of the vehicle that can propel it forward at record speeds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

That performance is due in part to small cold-gas thrusters from SpaceX placed on the rear of the Roadster.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The fossil consists of part of the rear of the dinosaur's skull.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Friday just before the noon closing when the shop was crowded, a policeman pushed open the street door, hesitated, then continued back into the rear room.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Like most sheep farmers, Williams primarily rears them for meat and breeding rather than for their wool, but it still has to be taken care of.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

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

The thing is, it always rears its ugly side.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

Real life, in short, rears its ugly head.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025

Aaron rears up in them, huge and terrifying.

From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness

When her anxiety reared up, Biles was ready.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Insect larvae reared at higher temperatures will develop faster and reach pupation at a smaller size.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

The Medicare issue has also reared its head in recent times.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

There we met 60-year-old Rameshwar Yadav, a former private-school teacher who now reared buffaloes for a living.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

He came to me, reared up, and put his paws on my shoulders.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

In the warm, dry spring a glut of glorious foundresses – new queens – emerged from hibernation to start their nests alone, carrying out all the nest building, egg laying, foraging and brood rearing.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

John does all that too, on top of his parents blasting all fear out of him while rearing him to expect the universe to be unforgiving.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

Christopher Nolan’s version of the Trojan Horse—35 feet tall and rearing on hind legs—was half buried in sand on the Atlantic coast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

It’s a maddening stop-and-go of straining, rearing horses, groaning oxen and mules, trying to break from the jammed pack.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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Related Words

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

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