tailgate

noun tail·gate \ ˈtāl-ˌgāt \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of tailgate

1 : a board or gate at the rear of a vehicle that can be removed or let down (as for loading)

[from the custom of seating trombonists at the rear of trucks carrying jazz bands in parades]

: a jazz trombone style marked by much use of slides to and from long sustained tones

3 US : tailgate party

Nowadays, tailgates have evolved into mobile feasts: face-to-face social networks where complete strangers bond over food and drink, and everyone is eager to share.
—Greg Ferro

See tailgate defined for English-language learners

See tailgate defined for kids

Recent Examples of tailgate from the Web

The Brickyard Battalion tailgate is located on the south side of McCarthy Street between Missouri Street and Meikel Street.

— kevin johnston, Indianapolis Star, "Lucas Oil Stadium not perfect home for Indy Eleven, but a big upgrade," 30 Mar. 2018
Endearing features include a manual hand brake, the refrigerator cool box in the big center console and the fold-down tailgate (with storage panels) and a soft-close feature.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Toyota Land Cruiser: An heirloom original," 30 Mar. 2018
The bed comes standard with GMC’s multi-piece MultiPro tailgate, also on SLT and Denali trims, and optionally with carbon-fiber panels, also to be an option on Denali models.

— clifford atiyeh, Car and Driver, "Down to Earth: 2019 GMC Sierra AT4 Arrives as a Mild Trail Upgrade," 26 Mar. 2018
Another person is selling a dilapidated heater just in case there’s an outdoor Super Bowl tailgate in freezing Minneapolis winter.

— conor orr, SI.com, "Craigslist Crazies: Trading Rare Booze, Diamonds and Dog Poop Scooping for Super Bowl Tickets," 2 Feb. 2018
Designers also add a new spoiler on the aluminum tailgate, which drivers can drop using an interior switch or with the key fob, that helps reduce drag.

— kirsten korosec, Fortune, "Inside FCA's Ford F-150 Challenger: The Ram 1500 Truck," 15 Jan. 2018
To reduce weiight and boost fuel efficiency, the new Ram includes strategic use of aluminum, including for the tailgate, which can be dropped using an interior switch or remotely with the key fob or passive entry.

— eric d. lawrence, USA TODAY, "New Ram pickup sheds weights, tows more and saves fuel," 15 Jan. 2018
Blood leaked through the truck’s closed tailgate, dripping onto the pavement.

— jill langlois, latimes.com, "In Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, one trauma center has become known as the war hospital," 23 Mar. 2018
Top Chef teams up with the Denver Broncos to host the best tailgating party, so the challenge is to work in teams of two and create one plate of food for a tailgate Super Bowl party for 300 players and fans.

— luis miguel echegaray, SI.com, "Talkin' Top Chef, Episode Nine: A Super Bowl-Inspired Challenge Brings in the Broncos," 1 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of tailgate

1854

tailgate

verb

Definition of tailgate

tailgated; tailgating

intransitive verb

1 : to drive dangerously close behind another vehicle

2 US : to have a tailgate party

transitive verb

: to drive dangerously close behind

—

tailgater

noun

See tailgate defined for English-language learners

Examples of tailgate in a Sentence

He hit the car in front of him because he was tailgating.
They started tailgating at 10 o'clock.

Recent Examples of tailgate from the Web

Fans who aren’t tailgating, but looking to fill up on food and drink at TMS will be delighted to see a new Torchy’s Tacos restaurant in the infield area.

— prescotte stokes iii, star-telegram, "Can you hear me now? Good! Because improvements are waiting for fans at Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 2 Apr. 2018
Plus, tailgating recipes for four cities with big sporting events.

— USA TODAY, "Ballpark bites: Opening day food and beverage offerings," 30 Mar. 2018
And then there are the more fun tailgating potentials of powering a TV and blender.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV: A proactive power source," 9 Mar. 2018
Much to my disappointment — even after some fans had spent hours tailgating — most of them weren’t thrown off.

— rich pope, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando City quiz: How well do you know the 2018 team?," 9 Mar. 2018
The sandwich recipes are easy to prepare at home and are ideal for tailgating, entertaining, or enjoying the games at home with family and friends.

— dana burke, Houston Chronicle, "Food truck on Super Bowl national tour stops in Houston, Pearland," 23 Jan. 2018
Aggressively flashing high-beams while tailgating a slower driver can lead to a ticket.

— wayne k. roustan, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Going slow in the left lane? Signs warn of a $121 fine," 22 Feb. 2018
Deputies said Salgado started to tailgate the teen, who then started to record the incident on his phone.

— samantha ketterer, Houston Chronicle, "Man charged in Katy freeway road rage incident," 14 Feb. 2018
People can come out and tailgate before the game, just like football.

— rachel roberts, idahostatesman, "Boise State’s Rice isn’t horsing around: ‘I’ll do anything for these guys’," 2 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of tailgate

1949

tailgate

adjective

Definition of tailgate

: relating to or being a tailgate party

Recent Examples of tailgate from the Web

Post time for the first race is 1:30 p.m., and tailgate picnics are encouraged.

— maryanna skowronski, The Aegis, "Maryland's steeplechase season kicks off Saturday, April 7, with Elkridge-Harford races," 2 Apr. 2018
Perfect for settling tailgate bets (and dating yourself as an old Brewers fan).

— chris foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "11 new baseball books that will help get you ready for opening day," 22 Mar. 2018
That means fans must drink their fill in advance at local bars or at tailgate gatherings in parking lots.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Vexing NCAA tournament rule will fuel more beer drinking in uptown Charlotte | Charlotte Observer," 16 Mar. 2018
This is tailgate central, where folks picnic and party while teams pass by.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Here are 6 of the best places to view the Iditarod ceremonial start," 3 Mar. 2018
Chiefs fans have more reason than most to stay in the parking lot as long as possible, not just because of the concession prices but because of the tailgate scene.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "Mellinger Minutes: Hosmer’s greatest contribution, trading Marcus Peters (?), 10 key KC athletes, and Bob Huggins," 20 Feb. 2018
Clarkson was one of the tailgate performances Sunday at Nomadic Live at The Armory.

— peter martinez, CBS News, "Super Bowl 2018: Eagles pull off stunning win over Patriots -- live updates," 5 Feb. 2018
Enough framed family pictures to cover every wall at Biltmore, including a large bridal portrait of Sissy hanging in the living room Task-Specific Coolers: the condo cooler, the fishing cooler, the tailgate cooler . . .

— Southern Living, "We'll Bet These Things Are In Your Southern Home," 20 Jan. 2018
The truck trailer turned tailgate bus is owned by Mike Wilson of North Ridgeville.

— rachel keck, cleveland.com, "Browns Tailgate Tours: See the bus with the unicycle rider, party rock and crosswalk (video)," 13 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of tailgate

1962

Financial Definition of TAILGATE

tailgate

verb

What It Is

Tailgating occurs when a broker buys or sells a security after doing the same for a client.

How It Works

Let's say John Doe is a broker for Jane Smith. Jane calls John and tells him she just saw a press release that Company XYZ is bringing in a new hot-shot CEO. She tells him to buy 5,000 shares of Company XYZ for her account. John executes the trade for Jane and then tailgates by buying another 5,000 shares for himself because he has been watching Company XYZ and agrees with Jane that the CEO change should be a good thing for the stockholders.

In some cases, brokers tailgate when the client's order is so large that its execution will affect the price of the security.

Why It Matters

Tailgating is not the same as frontrunning. In frontrunning, the broker executes the trade for his own account before executing the client's trade. In tailgating, the broker executes the trade for his own account after executing the client's trade. Frontrunning is illegal; tailgating is just in poor taste for many reasons, not the least of which is that the broker's job is to make money for his clients and know more than they do.

Source: Investing Answers

TAILGATE Defined for English Language Learners

tailgate

noun

Definition of tailgate for English Language Learners

: a door at the back of a vehicle (such as a station wagon or pickup truck) that opens downward and that can be lowered or removed to make it easier to load things into the vehicle