rear Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the back of a military formation or procession
    • infantrymen were in the rear
  2. noun the side of an object that is opposite its front
    backside; back end.
    • his room was toward the rear of the hotel
  3. noun the part of something that is furthest from the normal viewer
    back.
    • he stood at the back of the stage
    • it was hidden in the rear of the store
  4. noun the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
    bum; seat; stern; keister; tail end; prat; bottom; rear end; buns; tail; tush; rump; fanny; ass; behind; tooshie; hind end; posterior; hindquarters; butt; nates; arse; buttocks; backside; derriere; can; fundament.
    • he deserves a good kick in the butt
    • are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?
  5. noun the side that goes last or is not normally seen
    back.
    • he wrote the date on the back of the photograph
  6. verb stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds
    rise up.
    • The horse reared in terror
  7. verb bring up
    parent; nurture; bring up; raise.
    • raise a family
    • bring up children
  8. verb rise up
    lift; rise.
    • The building rose before them
  9. verb cause to rise up
    erect.
  10. verb construct, build, or erect
    set up; put up; raise; erect.
    • Raise a barn
  11. adjective satellite located in or toward the back or rear
    rearward.
    • the chair's rear legs
    • the rear door of the plane
    • on the rearward side

WordNet

Rear adverb
Definitions
  1. Early; soon. Prov. Eng.
    Then why does Cuddy leave his cot so rear! Gay.
Rear noun
Etymology
OF. riere behind, backward, fr. L. retro. Cf. Arrear.
Definitions
  1. The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last on order; -- opposed to front.
    Nipped with the lagging rear of winter's frost. Milton.
  2. Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest.
    When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear. Milton.
Rear adjective
Definitions
  1. Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost; as, the rear rank of a company.
Rear transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To place in the rear; to secure the rear of. R.
Rear transitive verb
Etymology
AS. r&aemac;ran to raise, rear, elevate, for r&aemac;san, causative of risan to rise. See Rise, and cf. Raise.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Reared ; present participle & verbal noun Rearing
Definitions
  1. To raise; to lift up; to cause to rise, become erect, etc.; to elevate; as, to rear a monolith.
    In adoration at his feet I fell Submiss; he reared me. Milton.
    It reareth our hearts from vain thoughts. Barrow.
    Mine [shall be] the first hand to rear her banner. Ld. Lytton.
  2. To erect by building; to set up; to construct; as, to rear defenses or houses; to rear one government on the ruins of another.
    One reared a font of stone. Tennyson.
  3. To lift and take up. Obs. or R.
    And having her from Trompart lightly reared, Upon his set the lovely load. Spenser.
  4. To bring up to maturity, as young; to educate; to instruct; to foster; as, to rear offspring.
    He wants a father to protect his youth, And rear him up to virtue. Southern.
  5. To breed and raise; as, to rear cattle.
  6. To rouse; to strip up. Obs.
    And seeks the tusky boar to rear. Dryden.
    Syn. -- To lift; elevate; erect; raise, build; establish. See the Note under Raise, 3 (c).
Rear intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To rise up on the hind legs, as a horse; to become erect.

Webster 1913