What does "rear" mean?
The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last in order.
Rear
/ɹɪɹ/ adj, adv, noun, verb
adj, adv, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last in order.
- Grammar: rear is listed as adj, adv, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: back, back end, backside, posterior.
- Useful contrasts: forward, front, front thighs.
- Usage evidence: The hijackers moved to the rear of the plane.
How to use "rear"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rear" 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 "rear" 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 "rear" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rear" 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 "rear" is acting as adj, adv, noun, verb 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 "back" 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 "rear", 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 The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last in order.
"Nipt with the lagging rear of winters froſt."
- 2 the side that goes last or is not normally seen wordnet
- 3 Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest.
"When the fierce Foe hung on our brok'n Rear"
- 4 the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on wordnet
- 5 The buttocks or bottom.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 the back of a military formation or procession wordnet
- 7 the part of something that is furthest from the normal viewer wordnet
- 8 the side of an object that is opposite its front wordnet
Verb
- 1 To bring up to maturity, as offspring; to educate; to instruct; to foster. transitive
"He wants a father to protect his youth, and rear him up to virtue."
- 2 To place in the rear; to secure the rear of.
- 3 To move; stir. transitive
- 4 construct, build, or erect wordnet
- 5 To breed and raise. transitive
"The family has been rearing cattle for 200 years."
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 To sodomize (perform anal sex) British, transitive, vulgar
- 7 To carve. transitive
"Rear that goose!"
- 8 stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds wordnet
- 9 To rise up on the hind legs. intransitive
"The horse was shocked, and thus reared."
- 10 To revive, bring to life, quicken. (only in the phrase, to rear to life) obsolete, regional
"He healeth the blind and he reareth to life the dead."
- 11 cause to rise up wordnet
- 12 To get angry. intransitive, usually
- 13 look after a child until it is an adult wordnet
- 14 To rise high above, tower above. intransitive
- 15 rise up wordnet
- 16 To raise physically or metaphorically; to lift up; to cause to rise, to elevate. literary, transitive
"Poverty reared its ugly head. (appeared, started, began to have an effect)"
- 17 To construct by building; to set up rare, transitive
"to rear defenses or houses"
- 18 To raise spiritually; to lift up; to elevate morally. rare, transitive
"It reareth our hearts from vain thoughts."
- 19 To lift and take up. obsolete, transitive
"And hauing her from Trompart lightly reard, / Vpon his Courser set the louely lode,"
- 20 To rouse; to strip up. obsolete, transitive
"And seeks the tusky boar to rear."
Adjective
- 1 Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost.. not-comparable
"the rear rank of a company"
- 2 (of eggs) Underdone; nearly raw. dialectal
- 3 (of meats) Rare. US
"Fred ordered a rear steak along with a glass of beer as he took a seat at an empty table"
Adjective
- 1 located in or toward the back or rear wordnet
Adverb
- 1 early; soon British, dialectal, not-comparable
"Then why does Cuddy leave his cot so rear!"
Example
"The hijackers moved to the rear of the plane."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rear"?
Common synonyms include: back, back end, backside, posterior, adopt, adopted.
How do you use "rear" in a sentence?
The hijackers moved to the rear of the plane.
How do you pronounce "rear"?
Pronounced /ɹɪɹ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English reren (“to raise”), from Old English rǣran (“to raise, set upright, promote, exalt, begin, create, give rise to, excite, rouse, arouse, stir up”), from Proto-West Germanic *raiʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *raizijaną, *raisijaną (“to cause to rise, raise”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to lift oneself, rise”). Cognate with Scots rere (“to construct, build, rear”), Icelandic reisa (“to raise”), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (raisjan, “to cause to rise, lift up, establish”), German reisen (“to travel”, literally “to rear up and depart”); and a doublet of raise. More at rise. Related to rise and raise, which is used for several of its now archaic or obsolete senses and for some of its senses that are currently more common in other dialects of English.
Etymology 2
From Middle English rere, from Anglo-Norman rere, ultimately from Latin retro. Compare arrear. Doublet of retro.
Etymology 3
From Middle English reren, from Old English hrēran (“to move, shake, agitate”), from Proto-Germanic *hrōzijaną (“to stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱroHs- (“to mix, stir, cook”). Cognate with Dutch roeren (“to stir, shake, whip”), German rühren (“to stir, beat, move”), Swedish röra (“to touch, move, stir”), Icelandic hræra (“to stir”).
Etymology 4
From Middle English rere, from Old English hrēr, hrēre (“not thoroughly cooked, underdone, lightly boiled”), from hrēran (“to move, shake, agitate”), from Proto-Germanic *hrōzijaną (“to stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱroHs- (“to mix, stir, cook”). Related to Old English hrōr (“stirring, busy, active, strong, brave”), Dutch roeren (“to stir, shake, whip”), German rühren (“to stir, beat, move”), Swedish röra (“to touch, move, stir”), Icelandic hræra (“to stir”).