rear-end

1 of 2

verb

ˈrir-ˈend 

-ˌend

rear-ended; rear-ending; rear-ends

transitive verb

: to crash into the back of (a vehicle)

rear end

2 of 2

noun

1

: the back part or section of something (such as a motor vehicle)

The preliminary investigation revealed that while traffic was stopped, the driver of a Ford F-150 pickup truck hit the rear end of a Buick passenger car …

—Gabe Hauari

2

: buttocks

He's sneaky strong, having increased his bench press to 325 pounds, but his legs remain matchsticks and he has virtually no rear end.

—Curry Kirkpatrick

Synonyms of rear-end

Noun

• seat
• cheeks
• tail
• bum
• tail end
• bottom
• rump
• behind

Examples of rear-end in a Sentence

Noun

She stood up and brushed off her rear end.

The car's rear end was badly damaged in the accident.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In her recent interview with KNXV, Montgomery recalled that her car was allegedly rear-ended by another vehicle, which then sparked the fire. —David Chiu, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025

According to the criminal complaint, Skluzacek was rear-ended by the vehicle Matariyeh was driving in an apparent carjacking attempt to continue fleeing police. —Dale Morin, Twin Cities, 26 Nov. 2025

Noun

Every few moments, the dogs stop, lean back on their hind legs, and pinch off a Polaroid-like print from their rear ends. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2025

Vents at the front and rear ends provide airflow, even when campers batten the outer fabric down for rainy or windy conditions. —New Atlas, 30 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1957, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1785, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rear-end

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• defend
• depend