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 Note

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

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.

Feelings behind the scenes that UK Labour does not get the fight that the party in Wales will face at the ballot box are starting to spill over.

From

Dean and her attorney, Ian Wallach, said they have yet to access the affidavit behind the search warrant, which would lay out the probable cause police used to justify their actions.

From

He even posted a photo of her arrest from behind, maximizing the Clinton resemblance, to feed the misogynist masses on X.

From

The government has offered a reward for information leading to the arrest of those behind the attacks.

From

When the Vietnam War finally ended on April 30, 1975, it left behind a landscape scarred with environmental damage.

From

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

behest behind bars

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