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
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
Grab it ahead of warm-weather getaways this fall or winter, or use it now for hikes, tailgates, sports games, and other outdoor activities.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 17 Oct. 2025
Passionate Milwaukee Brewers fans arrived hours early to tailgate for the National League Championship Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
—Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
America’s tailgate menus are just as diverse as its playbooks.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tailgate
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Noun
In each show a celebrity superfan or Chiefs legend will go undercover to sample the tailgate food.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
Grab it ahead of warm-weather getaways this fall or winter, or use it now for hikes, tailgates, sports games, and other outdoor activities.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
John Robinson, a diehard Bengals fan and member of the Bengals Bomb Squad tailgate in Lot 1, proposed to his now fiancee and Steelers fan, Jennifer Longo, ahead of the primetime game.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 17 Oct. 2025
Passionate Milwaukee Brewers fans arrived hours early to tailgate for the National League Championship Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
—Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Each will spotlight the yumminess of Kansas City’s biggest tailgate scene.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
America’s tailgate menus are just as diverse as its playbooks.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tailgate
Cite this Entry
“Tailgate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailgate. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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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