rear

1 of 4

verb

ˈrir How to pronounce rear (audio)
 transitive sense 4 & intransitive sense 2 are also  ˈrer
reared; rearing; rears

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

1
: to rise high
2
of a horse : to rise up on the hind legs
rearer noun

rear

2 of 4

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
2
: the space or position at the back
moved to the rear

rear

3 of 4

adjective

: being at the back
the rear entrance

rear

4 of 4

adverb

: toward or from the rear
usually used in combination
a rear-driven car
Choose the Right Synonym for rear

lift, raise, rear, elevate, hoist, heave, boost mean to move from a lower to a higher place or position.

lift usually implies exerting effort to overcome resistance of weight.

lift the chair while I vacuum

raise carries a stronger implication of bringing up to the vertical or to a high position.

scouts raising a flagpole

rear may add an element of suddenness to raise.

suddenly reared itself up on its hind legs

elevate may replace lift or raise especially when exalting or enhancing is implied.

elevated the taste of the public

hoist implies lifting something heavy especially by mechanical means.

hoisted the cargo on board

heave implies lifting and throwing with great effort or strain.

heaved the heavy crate inside

boost suggests assisting to climb or advance by a push.

boosted his brother over the fence

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
Verb
Gerhard Berger’s missing Prancing Horse has finally reared up. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 4 Mar. 2024 Time that used to be spent on hobbies, dates and bonding activities is now majorly spent on child rearing activities. Mark Travers, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The camera was on Sherman when one of the horses spooked and reared backward, knocking him from his wheelchair. Elliot Ackerman, WIRED, 12 Feb. 2024 According to Van Lierde’s claim, detailed during a 1980 interview with the British TV show Mysterious World, the creature reared its sinewy body nearly ten feet into the air as the helicopter swooped over for another close pass. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2024 With or without an odor being introduced, every few hundred milliseconds, mice would switch between different types of movement—rearing, bobbing their heads, turning. Popular Science, 10 Jan. 2024 Quartz’s Michelle Cheng takes a look at the dilution of the term and the rise of the super-unicorn, which for every decade has reared its magical, shaggy head from one specific tech field. Susan Howson, Quartz, 18 Feb. 2024 All three wild canids breed annually, spending 10 months a year either pregnant or rearing young. Devin Farmiloe, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2024 Cancer June 21 – July 22 Jealousy could be rearing its head regarding a current partnership of yours. Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 25 Jan. 2024
Noun
The loadmaster at the very rear of the plane, nearly dangling out the door, raised a thumbs-up in the air. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024 Interestingly, the charge ports will be in the rear of the vehicle, as compared to the front as with the R1T and R1S. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 7 Mar. 2024 Staggered wheels are standard, with 21-inch rims on the front and 22-inch wheels in the rear. James Raia, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 The boy had ligature marks on the front and rear of his neck, his face was swollen and with petechiae to his eyes, authorities said. Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024 However, as a 41-year-old Doral man driving a silver Cadillac ATS sedan began to slow down to avoid a collision with the back of Pulido’s car, a 19-year-old Pembroke Pines woman in a black Lexus IS300 crashed into the rear of his car. Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2024 Moments later, the rear of one of the vehicle crashes through a windowed garage door, which collapses like tin foil, as the thieves open a path for what would be the theft of nine vehicles from Fields Jaguar Land Rover Volvo Waukesha, 1901 E. Moreland Blvd. Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 That doesn’t match the 8.6mm depth of the Galaxy S24 Ultra (and, of course, all these measurements handily ignore any camera island jutting out the rear of the phone), but the impact of this change when holding a foldable will be noticeable. Ewan Spence, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 One farmworker seated in the rear of the van survived and was taken to a hospital, Ruvalcaba said. CBS News, 24 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Noel sent Honk a photo of a rear California license plate, with the number in pink and the background black. Jim Radcliffe, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2024 As images obtained by the outlet show, the wheel broke one vehicle's rear windshield, damaged a Tesla, bent part of a fence and eventually landed in a nearby lot. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 The six-driver speaker is far more immersive than the Era 100, especially when playing a spatial audio track or used as a pair of rear channels for a soundbar. Brandon Widder, The Verge, 7 Mar. 2024 The thieves have mostly targeted homes on corner lots, slipping in through rear sliding glass doors. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 The rip to 60 mph is 2.7 seconds, and the task of stopping the land missile is aided by twin air brakes that pop up from the rear wings. Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024 Dealers will replace the 60% rear seat-back frame sub-assembly, free of charge. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 The Cup race was yellow early in Stage 1, with Christopher Bell having an issue with his right rear tire. Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2024 The rear passenger safe-exit system prevents passengers from opening a door into traffic approaching from behind. James Raia, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
Adverb
The rear doors are rear-hinged and power-operated, offering primo access to a pair of heated, ventilated, massaging back seats. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 7 Mar. 2023 Additionally, parents who don’t plan to travel with their children in their laps (which is not necessarily recommended), should consider a rear-facing car seat. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2023 Buona fortuna getting those rear-hinged back doors to hang straight again. Dan Neil, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2023 This model introduces Cannondale’s new SmartSense system, which integrates a headlight, taillight, and rear-facing radar into a discrete central battery. Kevin Brouillard, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2023 The car had rear-ended the semi-truck and ended up in the grass, officials said. Megan Jones, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2023 Bass, who was driving a Mercedes-Benz on Woodward Avenue, reportedly rear-ended the Jeep Cherokee that the coach, Ben Jones, 30, was driving, setting off a chain reaction. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 27 Oct. 2022 The driver then reversed and backed into another car, before pulling forward and rear-ending the first car a second time. cleveland, 19 Sep. 2022 This may sound like it has been lifted from the brochure, but a prod of the accelerator out of a low-speed corner really does make the car feel rear-driven. Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2021

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.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English reren, from Old English rǣran; akin to Old Norse reisa to raise, Old English rīsan to rise

Noun

Middle English rere, short for rerewarde rearward

Adjective

Middle English rere-, from Anglo-French rere backward, behind, from Latin retro- — more at retro

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1855, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rear was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near rear

Cite this Entry

“Rear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rear. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rear

1 of 3 verb
1
: 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 noun
1
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on rear

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