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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�y��vlog 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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�y��vlog 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.

Since moving to the Premier League, Onana has ranked second for goals prevented, only behind Jordan Pickford.

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But behind the scenes, artists are calling their lawyers.

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He’s had several close calls since then, including shooting 64 in the 2022 final round to finish second, three shots behind Scheffler.

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He has only broken 70 on one occasion - a 69 in 2018 when he finished tied fifth behind Patrick Reed after a final round 74.

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Green thinks the biggest reason for that decrease is the recent use of a 'draught excluder', when a player lies behind the wall to prevent the ball going underneath it.

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

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