1
: a board or gate at the rear of a vehicle that can be removed or let down (as for loading)
2
[from the custom of seating trombonists at the rear of trucks carrying jazz bands in parades]
: a jazz trombone style marked by much use of slides to and from long sustained tones
3
US
: tailgate party
Nowadays, tailgates have evolved into mobile feasts: face-to-face social networks where complete strangers bond over food and drink, and everyone is eager to share.—
Greg Ferro
Greg Ferro
tailgated; tailgating
1
: to drive dangerously close behind another vehicle
2
US
: to have a tailgate party
: to drive dangerously close behind
tailgater
noun
US
: relating to or being a tailgate party
Examples of tailgate in a Sentence
Verb
He hit the car in front of him because he was tailgating.
They started tailgating at 10 o'clock.
Recent Examples on the Web
Benjamin Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
Spice up your tailgate and serve this as an untraditional dip that will warm everyone right up.
—Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025
Benjamin Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
The current location for both venues has little development in the immediate area, which is southeast of downtown Kansas City, and that has made all the more room for tailgating over the years — but not much else.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025
The pies are so popular that people camp out tailgate-style on those days before Thanksgiving, pitching chairs and barbecuing, in order to grab a fresh pie for their holiday table.
—Cynthia J Drake, Southern Living, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tailgate
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Noun
Kansas City Chiefs fans had mixed emotions during the Christmas Day tailgate before taking on the Denver Broncos.
—Benjamin Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
Spice up your tailgate and serve this as an untraditional dip that will warm everyone right up.
—Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025
Verb
Canzonere just hopes the new stadium will have as much space as the Kansas Speedway has at the new facility, so people can still tailgate before the games.
—Benjamin Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
The current location for both venues has little development in the immediate area, which is southeast of downtown Kansas City, and that has made all the more room for tailgating over the years — but not much else.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Last month, the Steelers played the Bears at Soldier Field, so Valdez and about 30 family members bought tickets and a tailgate package through M&M Events and Promotions.
—Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025
The pies are so popular that people camp out tailgate-style on those days before Thanksgiving, pitching chairs and barbecuing, in order to grab a fresh pie for their holiday table.
—Cynthia J Drake, Southern Living, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tailgate
Cite this Entry
“Tailgate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailgate. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tailgate
1 of 2 noun
tail·gate
ˈtā(ə)l-ˌgāt 
: a panel at the back end of a vehicle (as a station wagon) that can be let down for loading and unloading
tailgate
2 of 2 verb
tailgated; tailgating
: to drive dangerously close behind another vehicle
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