BEHIND Definition & Meaning

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behind

[bih-hahynd]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

preposition

at or toward the rear of.
Look behind the house.
not keeping up with, later than; after.
behind schedule.
in the state of making less progress than.
We can't afford to fall behind our competitors.
on the farther side of; beyond.
behind the mountain.
originating, supporting, or promoting.
Who's behind this program?
hidden or unrevealed by.
Malice lay behind her smile.
at the controls of.
behind the wheel of a car.

adverb

at or toward the rear; rearward.
to lag behind.
in a place, state, or stage already passed.
in arrears; behindhand.
to be behind in one's rent.
slow, as a watch or clock.
more than 20 minutes behind.
as a cause or often latent feature of.
Behind their harassment lay the traditional fear of foreigners.
in a situation that exists afterward.
The victim left behind a large family.
Archaic.��in reserve; to come.
Greater support is yet behind.

adjective

following.
the man behind.

noun

Informal.��the buttocks.

behind

/ ��ɪˈ��ɪ�Ի� /

preposition

in or to a position further back than; at the rear of; at the back of
in the past in relation to
I've got the exams behind me now
late according to; not keeping up with
running behind schedule
concerning the circumstances surrounding
the reasons behind his departure
backing or supporting
I'm right behind you in your application

adverb

in or to a position further back; following
remaining after someone's departure
he left it behind
in debt; in arrears
to fall behind with payments

adjective

(postpositive) in a position further back; retarded
the man behind prodded me

noun

informal��the buttocks
Australian rules football a score of one point made by kicking the ball over the behind line between a goalpost and one of the smaller outer posts ( behind posts )

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Usage

See back ¹.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of behind¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English behinde(n), Old English behindan; equivalent to be- + hind ¹; for adverb suffix -an, before

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of behind¹

Old English behindan

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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idioms beginning with behind, also see come from behind; drop behind; fall behind; get behind; power behind the throne; put behind one; wet behind the ears; with one arm tied behind one's back.

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Synonym Study

Behind, after both refer to a position following something else. Behind applies primarily to position in space, and suggests that one person or thing is at the back of another; it may also refer to (a fixed) time: He stood behind the chair. You are behind the appointed time. After applies primarily to time; when it denotes position in space, it is not used with precision, and refers usually to bodies in motion: Rest after a hard day's work. They entered the room, one after another.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"The whole time all we could hear was the sound of our ceilings and our roofs caving in behind us."

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Earlier, Mr Boutcher said "bigots and racists" were behind the rioting.

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That doesn’t mean, however, that there’s no opportunity to pressure at least some Republicans into heeding their base’s distrust of AI technology and the people behind it.

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His career has taken him from cub reporter at the Chester Observer to being the voice behind some of the World Cup, Premier League and FA Cup's most iconic moments.

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We're driving here because in this rural heartland lie clues to what's behind a highly contested development thousands of miles away on the ground in Gaza.

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behest behind bars

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