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

Speed and distracted driving are often factors in rear-end crashes involving snowplows. —Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 4 Feb. 2026

His Toyota suffered major rear-end damage and the impact sent his vehicle crashing into the rear of another Toyota Corolla, the documents say. —Harry Harris, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026

Noun

The Big Dipper makes up the rear end and tail of the constellation Ursa Major, the Big Bear. —Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026

The video also shows the projectile appearing to hit the mayor's SUV before quickly driving away, as smoke lingers on the rear end of the car. —Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 28 Jan. 2026

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