tailgate

1 of 3

noun

tail·​gate ˈtāl-ˌgāt 

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

tailgate

2 of 3

verb

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

tailgate

3 of 3

adjective

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

Noun

The event typically draws more than 100,000 fans to Birmingham each year and features a parade and large pregame tailgates in addition to the football game, according to the event's website. — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026

Even without the hog races, the tailgate seemed to be a success with big crowds on hand to greet Jason Kelce. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026

Verb

Police said a near-collision on the bridge led Romero to aggressively tailgate Irvine, pull up on the side of his car and fire a deadly shot before driving away. — Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026

The Hawkeyes were taking on (the) Ohio State University last weekend in the biggest event of the year for sleepy Iowa City, and this New Englander wanted to tailgate at a Big Ten college football game. — Carine Hajjar, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Adjective

Yes, this can also get confrontational at times, with words being traded and attitudes checked at either the tailgate tent or the door to each hosting house. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026

By swapping the side-slider in to replace the tailgate galley that features in the Adventure, Lume is able to stretch out the interior floor down the full length of the trailer. — New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1949, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Adjective

1962, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tailgate

• tailgate party

Rhymes for tailgate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids 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