What does "hind" mean?
A doe (female deer), especially a red deer at least two years old.
Hind
/haɪnd/ adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A doe (female deer), especially a red deer at least two years old.
- Grammar: hind is listed as adj, name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: aft, after, aftermost, antelope.
- Useful contrasts: foremost, anterior, buck.
- Usage evidence: The horse rose on its hind legs.
How to use "hind"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hind" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hind" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hind" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hind" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hind" is acting as adj, name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aft" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hind", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A doe (female deer), especially a red deer at least two years old. countable, uncountable
"Nature binds all creatures to love their young ones; an hen to preserve her brood will run upon a lion, an hind will fight with a bull, a sow with a bear, a silly sheep with a fox."
- 2 A servant, especially an agricultural labourer. archaic
"Attilius Regulus […] writ vnto the common-wealth, that a hynde, or plough-boy whom he had left alone to over-ſee and husband his land (which in all was but ſeaven acres of ground) was run away from his charge[…]."
- 3 a female deer, especially an adult female red deer wordnet
- 4 A spotted food fish of the genus Epinephelus. countable, uncountable
- 5 any of several mostly spotted fishes that resemble groupers wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Located at the rear (most often said of animals' body parts).
"Fareweel, my rhyme-compoſing billie! / Your native ſoil was right ill-willie; / But may ye flouriſh like a lily, / Now bonilie! / I'll toaſt ye in my hindmoſt gillie, / Tho' owre the Sea!"
- 2 Backward; to the rear.
Adjective
- 1 located at or near the back of an animal wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname transferred from the nickname.
- 2 Synonym of Hindustan.
"Jai Hind!"
- 3 A female given name from Arabic.
Example
"The horse rose on its hind legs."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hind"?
Common synonyms include: aft, after, aftermost, antelope, back, back.
How do you use "hind" in a sentence?
The horse rose on its hind legs.
How do you pronounce "hind"?
Pronounced /haɪnd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English hinde, from Old English hindan (“at the rear, from behind”), Proto-Germanic *hinder (“behind, beyond”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱem-ta- (“down, below, with, far, along, against”), from *ḱóm (“beside, near, by, with”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐌰 (hindana, “from beyond”), Old Norse hindr (“obstacle”), Old Norse handan (“from that side, beyond”), Old High German hintana (“behind”), German hinter (“behind, beyond”), Old English hinder (“behind, back, in the farthest part, down”), Latin contra (“in return, against”). More at hinder, contrary.
Etymology 2
From Middle English hind, hinde, hynde, from Old English hind, Proto-West Germanic *hindu, from Proto-Germanic *hindō, *hindiz, from a formation on Proto-Indo-European *ḱem- (“hornless”). Cognate with Dutch hinde, German Hinde, Danish hind.
Etymology 3
From Middle English hynd, hine, from Old English hī(ġ)na, genitive plural of hīġa (“servant, family member”), in the phrase hīna fæder ‘paterfamilias’. The -d is a later addition (compare sound). Compare Old Frisian hinde (“servant”).
Etymology 4
From hind, a nickname for a gentle or timid person.
Etymology 5
Abbreviation of Hindustan.
Etymology 6
Borrowed from Arabic هند.