rear end
noun
the hindmost part of something.
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rear end
1 Americannoun
-
the hindmost part of something.
-
Informal. the buttocks; behind.
rear-end
2
American
[reer-end]
/ ˈrɪərˈɛnd /
verb (used with object)
-
to drive a vehicle or other conveyance so as to strike the back end of (another vehicle).
My car was rear-ended by another driver on the highway.
-
(of a moving vehicle or other conveyance) to strike the back end of (another vehicle or object).
A freight train rear-ended the commuter train this morning.
rear end
Idioms
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The back part of anything, especially a vehicle, as in There's a large dent in the rear end of the car .
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The buttocks, as in I'm afraid these pants don't fit my rear end . The noun rear alone has been used in both these senses, the first since the late 1700s and the second since the mid-1900s. The addition of end occurred in the first half of the 1900s.
Etymology
Origin of rear end1
First recorded in 1865–70
Origin of rear-end2
First recorded in 1975–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A fourth person would work the two back legs and another puppeteer would work the rear end.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2025
The brightest region within the nebula is called IC 2948, where some people see the chicken's head and others its rear end.
From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023
Recently, Scooter was given a special tool that makes his life a lot easier – a cart with wheels that attaches to his rear end.
From NewsForKids.net • Jun. 28, 2023
Longer lorries can carry more goods in fewer trips but have a larger tail swing, meaning their rear end covers a greater area when turning.
From BBC • May 9, 2023
His large rear end had been wriggling in his chair as he tried to keep his mouth shut, as if the energy of his lips needed to be transferred somewhere.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
