reared; rearing; rears
1
: to erect by building : construct
2
: to raise upright
3
a(1)
: to breed and raise (an animal) for use or market
(2)
: to bring to maturity or self-sufficiency usually through nurturing care
reared five children
birds rearing their young
b
: to cause (plants) to grow
4
: to cause (a horse) to rise up on the hind legs
rearer
noun
1
: the back part of something: such as
a
: the unit (as of an army) or area farthest from the enemy
b
: the part of something located opposite its front
the rear of a house
c
: buttocks
2
: the space or position at the back
moved to the rear
Synonyms
Examples of rear in a Sentence
Verb
watched a documentary on how wolves rear their young
it took all the men in the village to rear the frame for the barn, pulling hard at the ropes until all the sides were standing
Noun
There are two bedrooms at the rear.
the rear of the car was sleekly designed
Adjective
The car's rear bumper was damaged.
go to the back of the building and look out the rear window and you'll see the eagle
Recent Examples on the Web
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The rearing pools at the Aquarium of the Pacific are tucked behind a medical center and a marine mammal protection law prohibits livestreaming their activities to the public.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The fish were reared in Oregon’s nearby Lookingglass Hatchery, which was established in 1982 to compensate for losses in the salmon population as a result of the construction of four federal dams on the lower Snake River.
—Leo Sands, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Women were relegated to housework, child rearing and making a living, and, since electricity was scarce in the 1950s and 1960s, perms were an economical, low maintenance way to style hair.
—Soo Youn, NBC News, 16 Mar. 2024
Raw emotions or memories still rear their head now and then.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 9 Apr. 2024
The incentives created more vibrant forests in the long term, and the income was competitive compared with less sustainable options for the landholders, such as cattle rearing.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 2024
As the prospect of the team that has won 11-straight Bundesliga titles failing to do so with Europe’s most famous trophy-less striker reared its head, the joking suggestion was that a ‘Harry Kane Jinx’ is behind the problems.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
The kids still lived here when the internet reared its confounding but intrusively necessary head.
—Ellen Murphy, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 26 Apr. 2024
That’s due not only to front-of-house activity but also to the sights, sounds, and smells of the open kitchen in the rear.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Apr. 2024
Maximum radiator lengths are 466mm up front, 480mm on the right, 463mm on the bottom, and 470mm at the rear.
—PCMAG, 21 Apr. 2024
Needless to say, the audience was on its feet by the final scene—and when a small group convened in the Red Bar, at the rear of the orchestra, for a meet and greet with the stars, the excitement was palpable—even eliciting a few shrieks of delight when Redmayne and Rankin came out.
—Marley Marius, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
The prosecuting attorney’s office said that evidence found in Christine's home backed up her story, including a broken window in the rear of the home and a screwdriver found next to the door where Condon entered.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
The stripes coloring their rears and hind legs are unique to each individual, to the point where they can be used for identification like a set of fingerprints.
—Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
Boston Fire Department officials said the close proximity of houses caused the fire to jump from one building to the house next door and another building in the rear.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
Benz’s innovative machine was a quantum leap by comparison: The model had a tubular-steel frame riding on spoked wheels dressed in rubber and carried a 220-pound, single-cylinder four-stroke motor (which delivered less than 1 hp) in the rear.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2024
Its phase fresnel optics make for a more reasonable price and weight compared with telephoto primes for other systems, while reliable autofocus and rear teleconverter support are useful benefits.
—PCMAG, 25 Apr. 2024
Its lid design keeps dust away from your footwear and the rear ventilation holes help air circulate and ensure odors are at bay.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
The person seated in the right rear passenger seat leaned out of the window of the Mercedes and fired two shots with a 9mm pistol at the victims.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
The ride was so smooth that my passenger reclined in the massaging rear seat and was able to get some work done.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2024
The doors could open if the compact car's rear doors are not locked.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
So, the Hero Dash has an electronic locking front and rear differential.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 20 Apr. 2024
Ride and handling are greatly improved with F Sport suspension tuning, with performance dampers and dynamic rear steering.
—Tony Leopardo, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024
Verb
The propellers began to spin with the sound of leaf blowers, the craft reared back, and I was wrenched upward, pinned to my seat, heart hammering.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The rearing pools at the Aquarium of the Pacific are tucked behind a medical center and a marine mammal protection law prohibits livestreaming their activities to the public.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The fish were reared in Oregon’s nearby Lookingglass Hatchery, which was established in 1982 to compensate for losses in the salmon population as a result of the construction of four federal dams on the lower Snake River.
—Leo Sands, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Women were relegated to housework, child rearing and making a living, and, since electricity was scarce in the 1950s and 1960s, perms were an economical, low maintenance way to style hair.
—Soo Youn, NBC News, 16 Mar. 2024
Raw emotions or memories still rear their head now and then.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 9 Apr. 2024
The incentives created more vibrant forests in the long term, and the income was competitive compared with less sustainable options for the landholders, such as cattle rearing.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 2024
As the prospect of the team that has won 11-straight Bundesliga titles failing to do so with Europe’s most famous trophy-less striker reared its head, the joking suggestion was that a ‘Harry Kane Jinx’ is behind the problems.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
The kids still lived here when the internet reared its confounding but intrusively necessary head.
—Ellen Murphy, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
The model, which was introduced in 2018, is a bigger and more commanding Phantom with a roof that extends all the way to the rear of the vehicle.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 26 Apr. 2024
That’s due not only to front-of-house activity but also to the sights, sounds, and smells of the open kitchen in the rear.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Apr. 2024
Maximum radiator lengths are 466mm up front, 480mm on the right, 463mm on the bottom, and 470mm at the rear.
—PCMAG, 21 Apr. 2024
Needless to say, the audience was on its feet by the final scene—and when a small group convened in the Red Bar, at the rear of the orchestra, for a meet and greet with the stars, the excitement was palpable—even eliciting a few shrieks of delight when Redmayne and Rankin came out.
—Marley Marius, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
The prosecuting attorney’s office said that evidence found in Christine's home backed up her story, including a broken window in the rear of the home and a screwdriver found next to the door where Condon entered.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
The stripes coloring their rears and hind legs are unique to each individual, to the point where they can be used for identification like a set of fingerprints.
—Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
Boston Fire Department officials said the close proximity of houses caused the fire to jump from one building to the house next door and another building in the rear.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
Benz’s innovative machine was a quantum leap by comparison: The model had a tubular-steel frame riding on spoked wheels dressed in rubber and carried a 220-pound, single-cylinder four-stroke motor (which delivered less than 1 hp) in the rear.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
Adjective
However, there is one thing that makes Bella very, very unique ― her rear right leg.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2024
Its phase fresnel optics make for a more reasonable price and weight compared with telephoto primes for other systems, while reliable autofocus and rear teleconverter support are useful benefits.
—PCMAG, 25 Apr. 2024
Its lid design keeps dust away from your footwear and the rear ventilation holes help air circulate and ensure odors are at bay.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
The person seated in the right rear passenger seat leaned out of the window of the Mercedes and fired two shots with a 9mm pistol at the victims.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
The ride was so smooth that my passenger reclined in the massaging rear seat and was able to get some work done.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2024
The doors could open if the compact car's rear doors are not locked.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
So, the Hero Dash has an electronic locking front and rear differential.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 20 Apr. 2024
Ride and handling are greatly improved with F Sport suspension tuning, with performance dampers and dynamic rear steering.
—Tony Leopardo, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to rear
Dictionary Entries Near rear
Cite this Entry
“Rear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rear. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rear
1 of 3 verb1
: to put up by building : construct
2
: to raise or set on end
3
a
: to take care of the breeding and raising of
rear cattle
b
: to bring by continuous care to a stage at which one is fully grown or self-sufficient
rear children
4
: to rise high
5
: to rise up on the hind legs
the horse reared in fright
rear
2 of 3 noun1
: the part (as of an army) or area farthest from the enemy
2
3
: the space or position at the back
rear
3 of 3 adjective
: being at the back
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