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

Noun

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

The pickup truck rear-ended the first vehicle, which then veered off the road, crashed through a fence and came to rest on the west side, according to authorities. —Doc Louallen, ABC News, 8 July 2025

The gun was later found by troopers on the hood of a nearby Chrysler minivan that Sanders rear-ended and shot at immediately after the crash. —Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 7 July 2025

Noun

That rear end presented further challenges given the wider body, so ECD needed to source entirely new axles and cradles—all custom jobs—plus a set of sparkling wire wheels. —Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025

The rear end is essentially a double coil setup with zero adjustability. —New Atlas, 28 June 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