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Synonyms

tailgate

1 American  
[teyl-geyt] / ˈteɪlˌgeɪt /

noun

  1. the board or gate at the back of a wagon, truck, station wagon, etc., which can be removed or let down for convenience in loading or unloading.

verb (used without object)

tailgated, tailgating

  1. to follow or drive hazardously close to the rear of another vehicle.

verb (used with object)

tailgated, tailgating

  1. to follow or drive hazardously close to the rear of (another vehicle).

adjective

  1. pertaining to or set up on a tailgate.

    a tailgate picnic before the football game.
tailgate 2 American  
[teyl-geyt] / ˈteɪlˌgeɪt /

noun

Jazz.

  1. a style of playing the trombone, especially in Dixieland jazz, distinguished especially by the use of melodic counterpoint and long glissandi.

tailgate British  
/ ˈteɪlˌɡeɪt /

noun

  1. another name for tailboard

  2. a door at the rear of a hatchback vehicle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to drive very close behind (a vehicle)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • tailgater noun

Etymology

Origin of tailgate1

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; tail 1 + gate 1

Origin of tailgate2

First recorded in 1945–50; so called from the usual seat of trombonists in trucks carrying musicians during a parade

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.

We joined the stream of people making their way to the stage area, trucks backing up as close as they could get for tailgate seating.

From Literature

The footage, which shows a blue BMW tailgating a cyclist in the bike lane, forcing the cyclist to hop the curb onto the sidewalk, has since gone viral on Fetzer’s Instagram page.

From Los Angeles Times

A 27-year-old man has become the first person in the country to be charged with 'tailgating' - entering a football match without a ticket - after the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

From BBC

The new act is designed to clamp down on 'tailgating' - where supporters without tickets make their way through turnstiles by staying close behind legitimate ticket-holders.

From BBC

Two soldiers had to lift Father over the tailgate.

From Literature

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.