1
: a board or gate at the rear of a vehicle that can be removed or let down (as for loading)
2
[from the custom of seating trombonists at the rear of trucks carrying jazz bands in parades]
: a jazz trombone style marked by much use of slides to and from long sustained tones
3
US
: tailgate party
Nowadays, tailgates have evolved into mobile feasts: face-to-face social networks where complete strangers bond over food and drink, and everyone is eager to share.—
Greg Ferro
Greg Ferro
tailgated; tailgating
1
: to drive dangerously close behind another vehicle
2
US
: to have a tailgate party
: to drive dangerously close behind
tailgater
noun
US
: relating to or being a tailgate party
Examples of tailgate in a Sentence
Verb
He hit the car in front of him because he was tailgating.
They started tailgating at 10 o'clock.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jamila Robinson, Bon Appétit, 2 Dec. 2024
This speaker, available for $1,299, is also portable, which means backyard barbecues, tailgates, and picnics will have a pitch-perfect soundtrack with a sound sure to satisfy even the most critical of ears.
—Melissa Locker, TIME, 26 Nov. 2024
Svati Kirsten Narula, Outside Online, 25 Oct. 2024
This fall, there will be tailgating and sailgating in the Big Ten, where snowflakes in the midwest will meet California sunshine.
—Audrey Snyder, The Athletic, 12 Aug. 2024
Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 13 Nov. 2024
Despite the country’s political polarization, many people in these tailgate groups weren’t even sure who their football friends were supporting.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tailgate 
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Noun
Our Relationships issue focused on how food creates connection, while our Sports issue celebrated everything from the dishes that promote health to the ones that are best for a tailgate.
—Jamila Robinson, Bon Appétit, 2 Dec. 2024
This speaker, available for $1,299, is also portable, which means backyard barbecues, tailgates, and picnics will have a pitch-perfect soundtrack with a sound sure to satisfy even the most critical of ears.
—Melissa Locker, TIME, 26 Nov. 2024
Verb
Shop Now From shoveling the driveway and walking the dog to tailgating in the ski area parking lot, the Timberland Men’s Britton Roads Mid Lace-Up Waterproof Boots will be your go-to all season long.
—Svati Kirsten Narula, Outside Online, 25 Oct. 2024
This fall, there will be tailgating and sailgating in the Big Ten, where snowflakes in the midwest will meet California sunshine.
—Audrey Snyder, The Athletic, 12 Aug. 2024
Adjective
For those unfamiliar with the lore, Sam the chimp rose to regional fame in the late 1970s when he was abandoned in Boone County, Kentucky, by a bankrupt carnival and then used as tailgate entertainment in the Cincinnati area, the bar's website states.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 13 Nov. 2024
Despite the country’s political polarization, many people in these tailgate groups weren’t even sure who their football friends were supporting.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tailgate
Dictionary Entries Near tailgate
Cite this Entry
“Tailgate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailgate. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tailgate
1 of 2 noun
tail·gate
ˈtā(ə)l-ˌgāt 
: a panel at the back end of a vehicle (as a station wagon) that can be let down for loading and unloading
tailgate
2 of 2 verb
tailgated; tailgating
: to drive dangerously close behind another vehicle
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