rear-end

1 of 2

verb

ˈrir-ˈend 

-ˌend

rear-ended; rear-ending; rear-ends

transitive verb

: to crash into the back of (a vehicle)

rear end

2 of 2

noun

1

: the back part or section of something (such as a motor vehicle)

The preliminary investigation revealed that while traffic was stopped, the driver of a Ford F-150 pickup truck hit the rear end of a Buick passenger car …

—Gabe Hauari

2

: buttocks

He's sneaky strong, having increased his bench press to 325 pounds, but his legs remain matchsticks and he has virtually no rear end.

—Curry Kirkpatrick

Synonyms

Noun

• backside
• behind
• booty [slang]
• bootie
• bottom
• breech
• bum
• buns
• butt
• buttocks
• caboose
• can
• cheeks
• derriere
• derrière
• duff
• fanny
• fundament
• hams
• haunches
• heinie [slang]
• hunkers
• keister [slang]
• keester
• nates
• posterior
• rear
• rump
• seat
• tail
• tail end
• tush [slang]

Examples of rear-end in a Sentence

Noun

She stood up and brushed off her rear end.

The car's rear end was badly damaged in the accident.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

His Dodge Dart hit a black Impala that got rear-ended by a red Nissan Sentra. —Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025

Nicholas Chandler was rear-ended while driving an Avis rental car. —Christopher Elliot, Mercury News, 14 May 2025

Noun

On lap 43, with Larson leading and seemingly in control, the rear end stepped out and the No. 5 car skated sideways across the frontstretch grass like a hockey puck on a bad breakaway. —Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025

The first red flag came after Alpine Formula One driver Jack Doohan lost the rear end and crashed straight into the barriers at high speed. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1957, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1785, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rear-end

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• defend
• depend