1
: a board or gate at the rear of a vehicle that can be removed or let down (as for loading)
2
[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
Greg Ferro
tailgated; tailgating
1
: to drive dangerously close behind another vehicle
2
US
: to have a tailgate party
: to drive dangerously close behind
tailgater
noun
US
: relating to or being a tailgate party
Examples of tailgate in a Sentence
Verb
He hit the car in front of him because he was tailgating.
They started tailgating at 10 o'clock.
Recent Examples on the Web
New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026
Preparing for a Super Bowl watch party, or tailgate spread, means ticking off a list of classic menu items.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2026
Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
Fans tailgated in frigid conditions under gray skies.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
Tracy leads a tailgate team at Beck’s games On game days, Tracy is rarely cheering alone.
—Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tailgate
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Noun
As for the remainder of the tailgate area, Freescape further expands flexibility by offering shelf-like modules that buyers can stack into different arrangements or remove as needed.
—New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026
Preparing for a Super Bowl watch party, or tailgate spread, means ticking off a list of classic menu items.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
Fans are tailgating outside Soldier Field before the wild-card showdown between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers.
—Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
Fans tailgated in frigid conditions under gray skies.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Would a new or used truck shell, with or without a tailgate tent extension, make more sense?
—New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
Tracy leads a tailgate team at Beck’s games On game days, Tracy is rarely cheering alone.
—Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tailgate
Cite this Entry
“Tailgate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailgate. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tailgate
1 of 2 noun
tail·gate
ˈtā(ə)l-ˌgāt 
: a panel at the back end of a vehicle (as a station wagon) that can be let down for loading and unloading
tailgate
2 of 2 verb
tailgated; tailgating
: to drive dangerously close behind another vehicle
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