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
Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
Chicago gets DiMeo back to his grizzly roots when walking around a Bears’ tailgate.
—Max Scheinblum, The Denver Post, 14 Feb. 2025
Marcus Thompson Ii, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
At a young age, Kudrna would tailgate with his family at Kauffman Stadium before Royals games.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2025
Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Dec. 2024
This year is the first that YouTube is taking over as sponsor of the show, but the tailgate concert tradition dates back to the pandemic, when Miley Cyrus delivered the inaugural performance virtually.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tailgate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Members of the group brought their flags from the tailgate into the stadium along with bass drums, doing their part to set the tone for home matches once the season begins.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
Chicago gets DiMeo back to his grizzly roots when walking around a Bears’ tailgate.
—Max Scheinblum, The Denver Post, 14 Feb. 2025
Verb
Stackhouse was a Chrysler 300 tailgating a Bentley.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
At a young age, Kudrna would tailgate with his family at Kauffman Stadium before Royals games.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Super Bowl 2025 ticket prices On Location has official Super Bowl tickets that are guaranteed by the NFL and are included as part of packages with options like open bars, tailgate food and pregame parties.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Dec. 2024
This year is the first that YouTube is taking over as sponsor of the show, but the tailgate concert tradition dates back to the pandemic, when Miley Cyrus delivered the inaugural performance virtually.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tailgate
Cite this Entry
“Tailgate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailgate. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share