behind

adverb or adjective

be·hind | \ bi-ˈhīnd,

bē-\

Definition of behind

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : in the place or situation that is being or has been departed from stay behind

b : in, to, or toward the back look behind came from behind

c : later in time can spring be far behind

2a : in a secondary or inferior position

b : in arrears behind in the rent

c : slow

3 archaic : still to come

behind

preposition

Definition of behind (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : in or to a place or situation in back of or to the rear of look behind you put behind bars

b —used as a function word to indicate something that screens an observer the sun went behind a cloud

c : following in order marched behind the band

2 —used as a function word to indicate backwardness, delay, or deficiency behind the timesbehind schedulelagged behind last year's sales

3a : in the background of the conditions behind the strike

b : out of the mind or consideration of put our troubles behind us

c : beyond in depth or time the story behind the story go back behind St. Augustine

4a : in support of : on the side of solidly behind the candidate

b : with the support of won 1–0 behind brilliant pitching

behind

noun

be·hind | \ ˈbē-ˌhīnd;

bi-ˈhīnd, bē-\

Definition of behind (Entry 3 of 3)

: buttocks —often used as a euphemism for ass in idiomatic expressions get your behind over here

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about behind

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Synonyms & Antonyms for behind

Synonyms: Adverb or adjective

behindhand, belated, delinquent, late, latish, overdue, tardy

Synonyms: Preposition

abaft, back of

Synonyms: Noun

backside, booty (also bootie) [slang], bottom, breech, bum, buns, butt, buttocks, caboose, can, cheeks, derriere (or derrière), duff, fanny, fundament, hams, haunches, heinie [slang], hunkers, keister (also keester) [slang], nates, posterior, rear, rear end, rump, seat, tail, tail end, tush [slang]

Antonyms: Adverb or adjective

early, inopportune, precocious, premature, unseasonable, untimely

Antonyms: Preposition

before

Examples of behind in a Sentence

Preposition

The older students entered the room first with the younger students following behind them. The cat hid behind the couch. The sun went behind a cloud. They were ahead of us by 5 points earlier in the game, but now they're behind us by 7. The polls show that he is behind the other candidates. The company is now behind the competition. He was behind the other students in his studies.

Noun

kicked him in the behind

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb or adjective

An ultraintelligent machine could design even better machines; there would then unquestionably be an ‘intelligence explosion,’ and the intelligence of man would be left far behind. — Kelsey Piper, Vox, "The case for taking AI seriously as a threat to humanity," 21 Dec. 2018 At this rate, can some kind of tabbed Notepad be far behind? — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Latest Windows Insider build makes a major upgrade to, uh… Notepad," 10 Dec. 2018 These screens are still a long way away from hitting consumer e-readers, but with a 13-inch model expected to arrive in the second quarter of 2019 a 6-inch color Kindle version can’t be far behind. — Jon Porter, The Verge, "E Ink’s latest screen is designed to let you write with zero latency," 30 Nov. 2018 Meghan Markle was not far behind in second place, increasing a product’s desirability by 35 percent. — Megan Friedman, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kate Middleton Is Even More Influential Than Meghan Markle in the U.S.," 1 Nov. 2018 These advances mean that cellular cyborgs with more advanced computing capabilities than simple switches aren’t far behind. — Eric Smalley, Discover Magazine, "Cellular Cyborgs: How Programmable DNA Strands Might Control Healing," 25 Sep. 2018 If millennial pink is the trendiest color right now, lilac isn't far behind. — Alyssa Fiorentino, House Beautiful, "Weigh In: Which Paint Colors Are Totally Overrated?," 20 Aug. 2018 The other broadcast networks were far behind NBC on the nominations leaderboard — CBS landed 34 (up from 29 last year), ABC registered 31 (down from 36 last year) and Fox bagged just 16 (down from 20 last year). — Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "Emmys: Netflix and HBO Set to Compete on Equal Footing," 12 July 2018 Preston, who was behind last month’s passage of Proposition F to provide free lawyers to tenants facing eviction, took out papers Friday to run again. — Matier & Ross, SFChronicle.com, "Highways considered for carpool lanes in and out of SF," 9 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Just as one girl stood up to share some of her thoughts, Michelle crept through the door and hugged her from behind — and the room erupted into tears and squeals of disbelief. — Heather Finn, Good Housekeeping, "Watch Michelle Obama and Oprah Surprise a Group of Unsuspecting High School Girls," 13 Nov. 2018 In a rare moment of behind-the-scenes access, two Times journalists were permitted to sit in on a policy meeting whose attendees included Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey as well as the site’s safety team. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Twitter is planning to draft a policy on “dehumanizing speech”," 11 Aug. 2018 Those shopping bags on the floor, sent by the German artist Maria Eichhorn, are filled with empty tea boxes, plastic water bottles, and chewing gum wrappers discarded by people installing the show, a kind of behind-the-scenes gallery diary. — Joseph Giovannini, New York Times, "Swiss Institute Has a New Home Ready-Made for Art," 28 June 2018 Coming back from behind isn’t unheard of in hedge-fund land. — Gregory Zuckerman, WSJ, "Oil Hedge Fund Giant Hammered in Crude’s Slide," 15 Nov. 2018 Shortly after Kim arrived at the airport, Huong was seen approaching him, clasping her hands on his face from behind and then fleeing. — Fox News, "Key ruling looms for women on trial for Kim Jong Nam murder," 15 Aug. 2018 Shortly after Kim arrived at the airport, Huong was seen approaching him, clasping her hands on his face from behind and then fleeing. — Eileen Ng, The Seattle Times, "Judge may acquit women or call defense in Kim Jong Nam trial," 14 Aug. 2018 As Blue lies lifeless, a duplicate — Blue's ghost! — rises from behind and floats toward heaven before a blue dove pulls it back and reconnects the two, body and spirit. — Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, "Exclusive: Watch glowing 'AGT' duo explode into colorful sparks in tonight's audition," 19 June 2018 The most exhilarating action of the period came when David Backes hit Dan Girardi from behind and Lightning forward Cedric Paquette attempted to stand up for his defenseman. — Tyler Horka, SI.com, "Stanley Cup Playoffs Roundup: Palat Leads Lightning Past Bruins; Sharks Knot Series in Game 4," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'behind.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.