behind
English · Thesaurus
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behind
- /bɪˈhaɪnd/ UK
- /bəˈhaɪnd/ UK
- /beˈhəɪn/
- /beˈhoɪn/
- /beˈhaɪn/
- /ˈbiˌhaɪnd/ US
- /biˈhaɪnd/ US
- /bɪˈhaɪnd/ US
- /bəˈhaɪnd/ US
Rhymes with -aɪnd
Where it comes from
From Middle English behinde, behinden, from Old English behindan (“on the back side of, behind”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihindan, *bihindini (“on the back side of, in the rear of, behind”), from Proto-West Germanic *bi- + *hindō (“the hind side, back part”), equivalent to be- + hind. Compare Old Saxon bihindan (“behind”, adverb), Middle High German behinter (“behind; back”).
preposition ahind · behine
-
At or to the back or far side of.
The children were hiding behind the wall.
Similar: in back of, to the rear of, a-back · Opposite: in front of
-
Concealed by (something serving as a facade or disguise).
Behind the smile was a cruel intention.
Similar: in back of, to the rear of, a-back · Opposite: in front of
-
In the past, from the viewpoint of.
All my problems are behind me.
Similar: in back of, to the rear of, a-back · Opposite: in front of
-
After in physical progress or distance.
Smith finished the race a lap behind the others.
Opposite: ahead of
-
After in developmental progress, score, grade, etc.; inferior to.
I'm ranked sixth in the French class, behind five other pupils.
Opposite: ahead of
-
After in time.
London is nine hours behind Tokyo.
Opposite: ahead of
- Responsible for, being the creator or controller of. Who is behind these terrorist attacks?
- Underlying, being the reason for or explanation of. What is behind this unexpected decision?
- In support of. The republicans are fully behind their candidate.
- Following, subsequent to; as a result or consequence of; because of. He was like, 'Fuck the police! Fuck you! You know who I am, you gonna quit playing with me, bitch.' I'm like let's go. 'Cause I wasn't trying to go to jail behind that shit.
adverb more behind · behinder · most behind · behindest · ahind · behine
- At or in the rear or back part of something. The water flows out through the pipe, and the sediment collects behind.
- In a rearward direction. We ran and ran, without once looking behind.
- So as to come after someone or something in position, distance, advancement, ranking, time, etc. The slower runners were left a long way behind.
- So as to be still in place after someone or something has departed or ceased to exist. I couldn't be bothered to carry the ironing board, so I left it behind.
- Backward in time or order of succession; past. […] forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before
- Behind the scenes in a theatre; backstage. ‘After the performance was over I went behind, and spoke to her.’
- Not yet brought forward, produced, or exhibited to view; out of sight; remaining. We cannot be sure that there is no evidence behind.
adjective more behind · behinder · most behind · behindest · ahind · behine
noun behinds · ahind · behine
- The rear, back-end. This part fits under the behind of the vehicle.
- The buttocks, bottom, butt. I was stung on the behind by a wasp.
-
Synonym of ass (“synecdochic: a person or their body”).
Get your lazy behind out of bed!
Similar: ass
- A one-point score. A roar from ten thousand throats go up, For we've kicked another behind.
- The catcher.
- In the Eton College field game, any of a group of players consisting of two "shorts" (who try to kick the ball over the bully) and a "long" (who defends the goal).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: tail end, rear end, down, seat, behindhand, fundament, derriere, slow, can, stern, prat, rear, trailing, backside, arse, bottom
Translations
Every language
prep at the back of
| Español | detrás de, atrás |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 뒤에 dwi-e |
| 日本語 | ...の後ろに ...no ushiro ni |
| 中文 | ...後面 /...后面 ... hòumiàn, ...後邊 /...后边 ... hòubiān |
| हिन्दी | के पीछे ke pīche |
| Kiswahili | nyuma |
| Português | atrás, detrás de |
| Français | derrière |
| Deutsch | hinter |
| Italiano | dietro |
| Ελληνικά | πίσω από píso apó |
| Română | după |
| Русский | за za, сза́ди szádi, позади́ pozadí |
| Tiếng Việt | sau |
| العربية | وَرَاءَ warāʔa, خَلْفَ ḵalfa |
| עברית | מֵאָחוֹר me'akhór, מאחורי me'akhoréi |
prep to the back of
| Español | detrás |
|---|---|
| 中文 | ...後面 /...后面 ... hòumiàn, ...後邊 /...后边 ... hòubiān |
| हिन्दी | के पीछे ke pīche |
| Kiswahili | nyuma |
| Português | atrás |
| Français | derrière |
| Deutsch | hinter |
| Italiano | dietro |
| Русский | за za |
| العربية | وَرَاء warāʔ, خَلْفَ ḵalfa |
| עברית | מֵאָחוֹר me'akhór, מאחורי me'akhoréi |
prep after, time- or motion-wise
| Español | después |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | nyuma |
| Português | depois |
| Français | après |
| Deutsch | hinter |
| Italiano | dopo |
| Русский | позади́ pozadí, по́сле pósle |
| العربية | وَرَاءَ warāʔa |
| עברית | מאחורי me'akhoréi |
prep responsible for
| Português | por trás |
|---|
prep in support of
| Kiswahili | nyuma |
|---|---|
| Português | apoiando |
| Français | derrière |
| Русский | за za, за спино́й za spinój |
| עברית | מאחורי me'akhoréi |
adv toward the back part or rear; backward
| Español | atrás |
|---|---|
| Português | para trás |
| Română | spre spate, îndărăt, spre-napoi |
| Русский | наза́д nazád, вспять vspjatʹ |
adv at the back part; in the rear
| Español | detrás, arredro |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | पीछे pīche |
| Kiswahili | nyuma |
| Português | para trás |
| Deutsch | hinten |
| Italiano | dietro |
| Română | în urmă, în spate |
| Русский | сза́ди szádi, позади́ pozadí |
Talk about this word "behind." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/behind. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. behind. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/behind "behind." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/behind.Cite this
@misc{behind_2026,
title = {behind},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/behind},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
