Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense, 3rd person singular presenttense rears, present participle rearing, past tense, past participle reared
1. singular noun
The rear of something such as a building or vehicle is the back part of it.
He settled back in the rear of the taxi. [+ of]
...a stairway in the rear of the building. [+ of]
Synonyms: back part, back, back end, back part More Synonyms of rear
Rear is also an adjective.
Manufacturers have been obliged to fit rear seat belts in all new cars.
2. singular noun
If you are at the rear of a moving line of people, you are the last person in it.
[formal]
Musicians played at the front and rear of the procession. [+ of]
The Lord Mayor follows at the rear in his gilded coach.
Synonyms: back, end, tail, rearguard More Synonyms of rear
3. countable noun [usually poss NOUN]
Your rear is the part of your body that you sit on.
[informal]
He plans to have a dragon tattooed on his rear.
4. verb
If you rear children, you look after them until they are old enough to look after themselves.
She reared six children. [VERB noun]
I was reared in east Texas. [beVERB-ed preposition]
Synonyms: bring up, raise, educate, care for More Synonyms of rear
5. verb
If you rear a young animal, you keep and look after it until it is old enough to be used forwork or food, or until it can look after itself.
[mainly British]
She spends a lot of time rearing animals. [VERB noun]
regional note: in AM, usually use raise
Synonyms: breed, keep, raise, tend More Synonyms of rear
6. verb
When a horse rears, it moves the front part of its body upwards, so that its front legs are high in the air and it is standing on its back legs.
The horse reared and threw off its rider. [VERB]
Synonyms: raise up, lift, hold up, elevate More Synonyms of rear
Rear up means the same as rear.
...an army pony that didn't rear up at the sound of gunfire. [VERBPARTICLE]
7. verb
If you say that something such as a building or mountain rears above you, you mean that is very tall and close to you.
The exhibition hall reared above me behind a high fence. [VERB preposition/adverb]
The mountains reared up on each side, steep and white. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: rise, tower, soar, loom More Synonyms of rear
8.
See to bring up the rear
9.
See to rear its ugly head
Phrasal verbs:
See rear up
More Synonyms of rear
rear in British English1
(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
buttock
5. bring up the rear
6. in the rear
7. (modifier)
of or in the rear
the rear legs
the rear side
Word origin
C17: probably abstracted from rearward or rearguard
rear in British English2
(rɪə)
verb
1. (transitive)
to care for and educate (children) until maturity; bring up; raise
2. (transitive)
to breed (animals) or grow (plants)
3. (transitive)
to place or lift (a ladder, etc) upright
4. (transitive)
to erect (a monument, building, etc); put up
5. (intransitive; often foll byup)
(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. (intransitive)
to start with anger, resentment, etc
Derived forms
rearer (ˈrearer)
noun
Word origin
Old English rǣran; related to Old High German rēren to distribute, Old Norse reisa to raise
rear in American English1
(rɪr)
noun
1.
the back or hind part of something
2.
the place or position behind or at the back
at the rear of the house
3.
the part of a military or naval force farthest from the enemy
4. US, Slang
the buttocks
adjective
5.
of, at, or in the rear
a rear entrance
Idioms:
bring up the rear
Word origin
prob. back-form. < rearward1, rear guard
rear in American English2
(rɪr)
verb transitive
1.
to put upright; elevate
2.
to build; erect
3.
to grow or breed (animals or plants)
4.
to bring up by educating, nurturing, training, etc.; raise
to rear a child
verb intransitive
5.
to rise or stand on the hind legs, as a horse
6.
to rise (up), as in anger
7.
to rise high, as a mountain peak
SIMILAR WORDS: lift
Word origin
ME reren < OE ræran, caus. of risan, to rise
Examples of 'rear' in a sentence
rear
It has front and rear gardens and there is parking for four cars.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They finally got a rear door open.
The Sun (2016)
His studio is at the rear of the building.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But something is keeping the rear end planted so maybe it does work.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
First the rear left electric window motor stopped working, then the right.
The Sun (2016)
You may also use front or rear fog lights but you must switch them off when visibility improves as they dazzle other road users.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The victim had opened a rear door and was reaching for something when the crook hopped into the driver's seat.
The Sun (2016)
It had pre-existing damage to its rear window, which was covered in plastic wrapping and tape.
The Sun (2017)
One advantage is that you can open the rear window independently of the roof and soak up some extra engine sound, and that's nice.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The hand brake locks the rear wheels and the spin of the forward wheels does the rest.
Geraghty, Tony The Bullet Catchers (1989)
The buildings rear up on each side.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The horse then reared again and was clearly shaken.
The Sun (2011)
The rear doors slide open rather than swing and the cabin is extremely spacious.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
These are houses with small rear gardens and very short front garden paths.
Forrest, Ray & Murie, Alan & Williams, Peter Home-ownership - differentiation and fragmentation (1990)
You can slide the rear seats back and forth to balance legroom with luggage space.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There are two large rear seats divided by a smaller middle seat.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The human rearing of captive animals is frowned upon because it can cause behavioural and breeding problems.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The noise cannot be heard to the side or rear of the vehicle.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
There are front and rear gardens and a double garage.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Subtle changes include new front and rear lights and the interior has been improved.
The Sun (2010)
But danger is just around the corner when the scared horse rears up on its hind legs!
The Sun (2009)
He would just drift through the corners and bring the rear end sliding round.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
There were all manner of dogs in the kennels at the rear of the house.
Jan Fennell FRIENDS FOR LIFE (2003)
Yet by the time they arrived the snake had slipped back into the rear of the oven.
The Sun (2013)
But then he spotted the flickering light of a candle coming from a room near the rear of the building.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Japan funds bring up the rear with a loss of 2%.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The coupé profile is enhanced by the rear door handles, hidden in the door.
The Sun (2010)
Their car is fitted with a radical rear wing which gives the British hopefuls a six mph advantage on the straight.
The Sun (2010)
This space is different in different cultures, and depends on the density of the population in the place where a person was reared.
Mansfield, Patricia Why Am I Afraid to be Assertive? (1994)
But there is a danger also: a person reared in such a hothouse environment may wilt once he or she steps into the broader society.
Christianity Today (2000)
In other languages
rear
British English: rear /rɪə/ ADJECTIVE
Rear means situated in the back part of something or refers to the back part of something.
He sat in the rear seat of the car.
American English: rear
Arabic: خَلْفِيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: traseiro
Chinese: 后面的
Croatian: stražnji
Czech: zadní
Danish: bag-
Dutch: achter-
European Spanish: trasero
Finnish: taka-
French: arrière
German: hinterer
Greek: πισινός
Italian: posteriore
Japanese: 後ろの
Korean: 뒤의
Norwegian: bak-
Polish: tylny
European Portuguese: traseiro
Romanian: dinapoi
Russian: задний
Latin American Spanish: trasero que está o viene detrás
Swedish: bak-
Thai: ข้างหลัง
Turkish: arka
Ukrainian: задній
Vietnamese: ở đằng sau
British English: rear /rɪə/ NOUN
The rearof something is the back part of it.
...the rear of the building.
American English: rear
Arabic: مُؤَخَّرَة
Brazilian Portuguese: parte traseira
Chinese: 背后
Croatian: pozadina
Czech: zadní část
Danish: bagende
Dutch: achterkant
European Spanish: parte trasera
Finnish: takaosa
French: arrière
German: hinterer Teil
Greek: νώτα
Italian: retro
Japanese: 後ろ
Korean: 뒤
Norwegian: bakside
Polish: tył
European Portuguese: parte traseira
Romanian: dos
Russian: задняя часть
Latin American Spanish: parte trasera
Swedish: bakdel
Thai: ด้านหลัง
Turkish: arka
Ukrainian: тил
Vietnamese: phía sau
British English: rear VERB
horse When a horse rears, it moves the front part of its body upward, so that its front legs are high in the air and it is standing on its back legs.
The horse reared and threw off its rider.
American English: rear
Brazilian Portuguese: empinar-se
Chinese: 后腿直立指马
European Spanish: encabritarse
French: se cabrer
German: sich aufbäumen
Italian: impennarsi
Japanese: 後ろ足で立つ
Korean: >앞다리를 올리고 뒷다리로 서다말 등의 동물이
European Portuguese: empinar-se
Latin American Spanish: encabritarse
British English: rear VERB
children If you rear children, you look after them until they are old enough to look after themselves.
She reared sixteen children, six her own and ten her husband's.
American English: rear
Brazilian Portuguese: criar
Chinese: 抚养
European Spanish: criar
French: élever
German: aufziehen
Italian: allevare
Japanese: 養育する
Korean: 기르다
European Portuguese: criar
Latin American Spanish: criar
All related terms of 'rear'
rear up
hand-rear
(of a person) to keep and look after (a young animal or bird) in place of its mother , until it is old enough to be used for work or food, or until it can look after itself
rear door
the door at the back of a building or vehicle
rear-end
If a driver or vehicle rear-ends the vehicle in front , they crash into the back of it.
rear bumper
the bar at the back of a vehicle which protects it if it bumps into something
rear guard
a military detachment to protect the rear of a main force or body
rear gunner
a soldier on a military aircraft who defends it against enemy attack from behind
rear light
a red light, usually one of a pair , attached to the rear of a motor vehicle
rear sight
the sight of a gun nearest to the breech
rear vassal
(in feudal society) a man who entered into a personal relationship with a great vassal to whom he paid homage and fealty in return for protection and often a fief .
rear wheel
any wheel at the back of a motor vehicle
rear window
the window at the back of a motor vehicle
rear admiral
A rear admiral is a senior officer in the navy.
rear-engined
(of a vehicle) with the engine at the back
rear-mounted
(of an engine, etc) fitted at the back of a vehicle
in the rear
at the back
rear projection
a special effects technique which combines a performance in the foreground with a pre-filmed background
rear-view mirror
Inside a car , the rear-view mirror is the mirror that enables you to see the traffic behind when you are driving .
rear-wheel drive
a layout in motor vehicles which places the engine at the front and the driven wheels at the rear
bring up the rear
to be at the back in a procession , race , etc
rearguard
In a battle , the rearguard is a group of soldiers who protect the back part of an army , especially when the army is leaving the battle.
to bring up the rear
If a person or vehicle is bringing up the rear , they are the last person or vehicle in a moving line of them.
to rear its ugly head rear its head
If something unpleasant rears its head or rears its ugly head , it becomes visible or noticeable .
to rear/raise its ugly head
If you say that something unpleasant or embarrassing rears its ugly head or raises its ugly head , you mean that it occurs, often after not occurring for some time.
rwd
rear-wheel drive
cover your back/cover your rear
If you cover your back or cover your rear , you do something in order to protect yourself, for example against criticism or against accusations of doing something wrong .