Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
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

Etymology

Origin of tailgate1

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

Origin of tailgate2

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

Explanation

A tailgate is the hinged opening at the back of a pickup truck. And as a verb, to tailgate is to drive too close to another vehicle. It's dangerous to tailgate, because you might crash into the car in front of you if it stops suddenly. This verb gets its name from a vehicle's tailgate. If you're too close to the tailgate of the truck in front of you, you're tailgaiting. Another informal use of tailgate is "party in the back of a truck," especially in the parking lot of a sports arena: "Let's tailgate before the big game tomorrow!"

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

If you really want to level up your potluck game, take a cue from tailgate culture: a small portable crockpot is a marvel.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

SEL R-Line Turbos also get a heated windshield, a hands-free powered rear tailgate, 20-inch wheels and the aforementioned massage-function front seats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

The new rules stipulate that all doors except the tailgate "shall be equipped with a mechanical release exterior door handle".

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

They tailgate, party and eventually walk into the game.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2025

Mr. Arable cut the motor, got out, walked around to the rear, and lowered the tailgate.

From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White

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.