View synonyms for rear

rear

[ reer ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the back of something, as distinguished from the front:
The porch is at the rear of the house.
the space or position behind something:
The bus driver asked the passengers to move to the rear.
the buttocks; rump.
the hindmost portion of an army, fleet, etc.

adjective

pertaining to or situated at the rear of something:
the rear door of a bus.

rear

[ reer ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

to take care of and support up to maturity:
to rear a child.
Synonyms: raise, nurture
to breed and raise (livestock).
to raise by building; erect.
Synonyms: construct
to raise to an upright position:
to rear a ladder.
to lift or hold up; elevate; raise.
Synonyms: lift, hoist

verb (used without object)

to rise on the hind legs, as a horse or other animal.
(of a person) to start up in angry excitement, hot resentment, or the like (usually followed by up ).
to rise high or tower aloft:
The skyscraper rears high over the neighboring buildings.

rear

/ rɪə /

noun

the back or hind part
the area or position that lies at the back
a garden at the rear of the house
the section of a military force or procession farthest from the front
the buttocks See buttock
bring up the rear
to be at the back in a procession, race, etc
in the rear
at the back
modifier of or in the rear
the rear legs
the rear side

rear

/ rɪə /

verb

tr to care for and educate (children) until maturity; bring up; raise
tr to breed (animals) or grow (plants)
tr to place or lift (a ladder, etc) upright
tr to erect (a monument, building, etc); put up
introften foll byup (esp of horses) to lift the front legs in the air and stand nearly upright
intr; often foll by up or over (esp of tall buildings) to rise high; tower
intr to start with anger, resentment, etc

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Confusables Note

See raise.

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Derived Forms

ˈrearer, noun

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Other Words From

un·reared adjective
well-reared adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of rear¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; shortened variant of arrear

Origin of rear²

First recorded before 900; Middle English reren, ræren, reare, Old English rǣran “to raise ”; cognate with Gothic -raisjan, Old Norse reisa

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Word History and Origins

Origin of rear¹

C17: probably abstracted from rearward or rearguard

Origin of rear²

Old English rǣran ; related to Old High German rēren to distribute, Old Norse reisa to raise

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

bring up the rear, to be at the end; follow behind:
The army retreated, and the fleeing civilian population brought up the rear.
rear its (ugly) head. head ( def 85 ).

More idioms and phrases containing rear

bring up the rear

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Synonym Study

See back ¹.

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Example Sentences

As their top diplomat, he will also be responsible for solving feuds that rear their heads for pastoralists.

From BBC

The way to counteract this was to slide the rear on entry to promote turn-in.

From BBC

One of the victims, Nancy Lopez, told Fox 11 that her impact broke off one of the driver’s rear mirrors and caused a dent on the car.

From Los Angeles Times

New rules for this season limit the flexibility of wings - at the rear from the first race, and at the front from the Spanish Grand Prix in June.

From BBC

For decades, government-run hatcheries in the Central Valley have reared and released millions of salmon each year to help boost their numbers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

reappraise Rear Adm.

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