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Showing results for tailgate. Search instead for tailgating .
Synonyms

tailgate

1 American  
[teyl-geyt] / ˈteɪlˌgeɪt /

noun

  1. the board or gate at the back of a wagon, truck, station wagon, etc., which can be removed or let down for convenience in loading or unloading.

verb (used without object)

tailgated, tailgating

  1. to follow or drive hazardously close to the rear of another vehicle.

verb (used with object)

tailgated, tailgating

  1. to follow or drive hazardously close to the rear of (another vehicle).

adjective

  1. pertaining to or set up on a tailgate.

    a tailgate picnic before the football game.
tailgate 2 American  
[teyl-geyt] / ˈteɪlˌgeɪt /

noun

Jazz.

  1. a style of playing the trombone, especially in Dixieland jazz, distinguished especially by the use of melodic counterpoint and long glissandi.

tailgate British  
/ ˈteɪlˌɡeɪt /

noun

  1. another name for tailboard

  2. a door at the rear of a hatchback vehicle

"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

verb

  1. to drive very close behind (a vehicle)

"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 Word Forms

  • tailgater noun

Etymology

Origin of tailgate1

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; tail 1 + gate 1

Origin of tailgate1

First recorded in 1945–50; so called from the usual seat of trombonists in trucks carrying musicians during a parade

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I’m thankful for the tailgates, the touchdowns and all the pageantry that comes with it.

From The Wall Street Journal

The nostalgia hit Ross Niederhaus in the grocery store as he stocked up for what might be his last Rose Bowl tailgate.

From Los Angeles Times

One widespread lament is the possible loss of unfettered tailgating on a sprawling golf course and surrounding parking lots.

From Los Angeles Times

The trooper, on the video, said he stopped her for tailgating and failing to have her lights on.

From Seattle Times

And the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas is throwing a tailgate fundraising party and inviting visitors to watch the zoo’s residents react to the midday darkness.

From Seattle Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.