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• rear end
  rear end

  noun

  the hindmost part of something.
• rear-end
  rear-end

  verb (used with object)

  to drive a vehicle or other conveyance so as to strike the back end of (another vehicle).

rear end

¹ American  

noun

rear ends plural

1. the hindmost part of something.

2. Informal. the buttocks; behind.

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rear-end ² American  

[reer-end] / ˈrɪərˈɛnd /

verb (used with object)

1. 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.

2. (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.

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rear end Idioms  

1. The back part of anything, especially a vehicle, as in There's a large dent in the rear end of the car .

2. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• rear ends
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rear end¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Origin of rear-end²

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

“Can I just not be a really good horse trainer that did something really profound and amazing in a short amount of time after I had to work my rear end off for it?”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

Ferrari describes its new electric vehicle as a "glass house", with headlights that are invisible when switched off, and a rear end reminiscent of famous models such as the 360 Modena.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

A hermit crab will inspect a shell with care, running antennae and claws over its contours, before delicately lowering its rear end into the aperture.

From Slate • Aug. 19, 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

There was a railing running round the building, and at the rear end there was what appeared to be a statue.

From "1984" by George Orwell

Related Words

• posterior