behindpreposition, adverb
uk/bɪˈhaɪnd/us/bɪˈhaɪnd/A1 at the back (of):
Look behind you!
I hung my coat behind the door.
Alex led, and I followed along behind.
mainly UK As hard as she tried, she always fell behind the other swimmers in the races.
figurative I knew that behind (= hidden by) her smile was sadness.
More examples
- The police officer was hidden out of sight behind a tree.
- The guard dog was snarling and snapping behind the fence.
- She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.
- She heard a sudden noise behind her, and swung round to look behind her.
- After the third lap, she was way behind the other runners.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
After & behind
- after
- back
- back end
- background
- backside
- be hot on sb's track/trail idiom
- bring
- bring up the rear idiom
- hard/hot/close on sb's heels idiom
- heel
- hot
- in back of idiom
- in hot pursuit idiom
- leave sth in your wake idiom
- nose
- nose to tail idiom
- posterior
- rear
- wake
Idiom(s)
be behind sb (all the way)
be behind sb
behind every great/successful man there stands a woman
behind the wheel
put sth behind you
behindadverb
uk/bɪˈhaɪnd/us/bɪˈhaɪnd/behind adverb (PLACE)
B1 in the place where someone or something was before:
I was annoyed to discover that I'd left my bag behind.
After the party a few people stayed behind to help clean up.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Places and locations
- a place for everything and everything in its place idiom
- action
- core
- direction
- ground zero
- heartland
- location
- oxygen bar
- place
- point
- post
- scene
- seat
- set
- setting
- situation
- spot
- stronghold
- the holy of holies
- venue
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behind adverb (SLOWER)
C1 slower or later than someone else, or than you should be:
The old woman was behind with (= late paying) the rent.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Late
- behindhand
- belated
- delayed
- door
- down to the wire idiom
- eleventh
- late
- late developer
- late in the day idiom
- latecomer
- latest
- miss
- owl
- schedule
- shut/close the stable/barn door after the horse has bolted idiom
- tardy
- the eleventh hour idiom
- the last minute idiom
- time
- wire
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behindpreposition
uk/bɪˈhaɪnd/us/bɪˈhaɪnd/C1 responsible for or the cause of:
He wondered what was behind his neighbour's sudden friendliness.
Marie Curie was the woman behind enormous changes in the science of chemistry.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Causing things to happen
- -ization
- -ize
- actuation
- agent
- awaken (sth) in sb
- be associated with sth
- beget
- draw
- equal
- fuel
- instigate
- instigator
- introduce
- lie
- plant
- rise
- usher
- usher sth in
- wreak
- wrought
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behindnoun [ C ]
uk/bɪˈhaɪnd/us/bɪˈhaɪnd/informalthe part of the body on which a person sits:
He tripped and fell on his behind.
Why don't you get off your behind (= stand up) and do something!
Synonym
bottom
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
The buttocks
- arse
- ass
- back end
- backside
- booty
- bot
- bottom
- bum
- bun
- buttock
- cheek
- derrière
- duff
- gluteal
- haunch
- posterior
- rear
- rump
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