rear

AI In plain words

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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

rear^¹

/ˈɹɪə/ Australia, UK
[ˈɹʷɪə̯] Australia, UK
/ˈɹɪː/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈɹɪjə/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈɹiə/ New Zealand
/ˈɹɛː/
/ˈɹɪɚ/ US
[ˈɹʷɪɚ] ~ [ˈɹʷɪɹ̩] US
/ˈɹiɚ/ US
[ˈɹiɚ] ~ [ˈɹiɹ̩] US
/ˈɾiɾ/ Scotland
[ˈɾiːɾ] Scotland

Sounds like rare (cheer–chair merger) · Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English reren (“to raise”), from Old English rǣran (“to raise, set upright, promote, exalt, begin, create, give rise to, excite, rouse, arouse, stir up”), from Proto-West Germanic *raiʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *raizijaną, *raisijaną (“to cause to rise, raise”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to lift oneself, rise”).

Cognate with Scots rere (“to construct, build, rear”), Icelandic reisa (“to raise”), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (raisjan, “to cause to rise, lift up, establish”), German reisen (“to travel”, literally “to rear up and depart”); and a doublet of raise. More at rise.

Related to rise and raise, which is used for several of its now archaic or obsolete senses and for some of its senses that are currently more common in other dialects of English.

verb rears · rearing · reared · reer · rere

transitive To bring up to maturity, as offspring; to educate; to instruct; to foster. He wants a father to protect his youth, and rear him up to virtue.
transitive, said of people towards animals To breed and raise. The family has been rearing cattle for 200 years.
intransitive To rise up on the hind legs. The horse was shocked, and thus reared.
Similar: prance
intransitive, usually, with "up" To get angry. The skunk reared up on its hind legs when it faced a fox.
intransitive To rise high above, tower above. By my side reared a solid stone wall, and beneath was simply the room we stood in, for the space below the stairway was not enclosed.
literary, transitive To raise physically or metaphorically; to lift up; to cause to rise, to elevate. Poverty reared its ugly head. (appeared, started, began to have an effect)
rare, transitive To construct by building; to set up to rear defenses or houses
rare, transitive To raise spiritually; to lift up; to elevate morally. It reareth our hearts from vain thoughts.
obsolete, transitive To lift and take up. And hauing her from Trompart lightly reard, / Vpon his Courser set the louely lode,
obsolete, transitive To rouse; to strip up. And seeks the tusky boar to rear.

rear^²

/ˈɹɪə/ Australia, UK
[ˈɹʷɪə̯] Australia, UK
/ˈɹɪː/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈɹɪjə/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈɹiə/ New Zealand
/ˈɹɛː/
/ˈɹɪɚ/ US
[ˈɹʷɪɚ] ~ [ˈɹʷɪɹ̩] US
/ˈɹiɚ/ US
[ˈɹiɚ] ~ [ˈɹiɹ̩] US
/ˈɾiɾ/ Scotland
[ˈɾiːɾ] Scotland

Sounds like rare (cheer–chair merger) · Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English rere, from Anglo-Norman rere, ultimately from Latin retro. Compare arrear. Doublet of retro.

adjective

not comparable Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost. the rear rank of a company

Opposite: front

adverb

UK, dialectal, not comparable early; soon Then why does Cuddy leave his cot so rear!

noun rears

The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last in order. Nipt with the lagging rear of winters froſt.
Opposite: front
Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest. When the fierce Foe hung on our brok'n Rear
The buttocks or bottom.
Similar: rear end

verb rears · rearing · reared

To place in the rear; to secure the rear of.
UK, transitive, vulgar To sodomize (perform anal sex)

rear^³

/ˈɹɪə/ Australia, UK
[ˈɹʷɪə̯] Australia, UK
/ˈɹɪː/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈɹɪjə/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈɹiə/ New Zealand
/ˈɹɛː/
/ˈɹɪɚ/ US
[ˈɹʷɪɚ] ~ [ˈɹʷɪɹ̩] US
/ˈɹiɚ/ US
[ˈɹiɚ] ~ [ˈɹiɹ̩] US
/ˈɾiɾ/ Scotland
[ˈɾiːɾ] Scotland

Sounds like rare (cheer–chair merger) · Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English reren, from Old English hrēran (“to move, shake, agitate”), from Proto-Germanic *hrōzijaną (“to stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱroHs- (“to mix, stir, cook”). Cognate with Dutch roeren (“to stir, shake, whip”), German rühren (“to stir, beat, move”), Swedish röra (“to touch, move, stir”), Icelandic hræra (“to stir”).

verb rears · rearing · reared · reer · rere

transitive To move; stir.
transitive, of geese To carve. Rear that goose!
obsolete, regional To revive, bring to life, quicken. (only in the phrase, to rear to life) He healeth the blind and he reareth to life the dead.

rear^⁴

/ˈɹɪə/ Australia, UK
[ˈɹʷɪə̯] Australia, UK
/ˈɹɪː/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈɹɪjə/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈɹiə/ New Zealand
/ˈɹɛː/
/ˈɹɪɚ/ US
[ˈɹʷɪɚ] ~ [ˈɹʷɪɹ̩] US
/ˈɹiɚ/ US
[ˈɹiɚ] ~ [ˈɹiɹ̩] US
/ˈɾiɾ/ Scotland
[ˈɾiːɾ] Scotland

Sounds like rare (cheer–chair merger) · Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English rere, from Old English hrēr, hrēre (“not thoroughly cooked, underdone, lightly boiled”), from hrēran (“to move, shake, agitate”), from Proto-Germanic *hrōzijaną (“to stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱroHs- (“to mix, stir, cook”). Related to Old English hrōr (“stirring, busy, active, strong, brave”), Dutch roeren (“to stir, shake, whip”), German rühren (“to stir, beat, move”), Swedish röra (“to touch, move, stir”), Icelandic hræra (“to stir”).

adjective rearer · more rear · rearest · most rear · reer · rere

dialectal (of eggs) Underdone; nearly raw.
US (of meats) Rare. Fred ordered a rear steak along with a glass of beer as he took a seat at an empty table

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: parent, erect, seat, arse, keister, butt, bum, nurture, buns, fundament, raise, put up, prat, tooshie, bring up, lift

adjective

Opposite: front

Translations

Every language

verb to bring up to maturity

Español	criar
日本語	育てる sodateru
Português	criar
Français	élever
Deutsch	aufziehen, erziehen, großziehen
Italiano	crescere
Русский	воспи́тывать vospítyvatʹ, воспита́ть vospitátʹ
Tiếng Việt	nuôi nấng

verb to breed and raise

Español	criar
日本語	育てる sodateru, 飼育する shiiku suru
Português	criar
Français	élever
Deutsch	züchten
Italiano	crescere
Русский	выра́щивать vyráščivatʹ, вы́растить výrastitʹ
Tiếng Việt	nuôi

verb to rise on the hind legs

日本語	後ろ足立ちする ushiro-ashi-dachi suru
Deutsch	aufbäumen, steigen
Italiano	sollevarsi
Русский	встава́ть на дыбы́ vstavátʹ na dybý, встать на дыбы́ vstatʹ na dybý

verb to lift, raise etc. physically

Español	erigir
日本語	育てる sodateru
Português	erguer, levantar, alçar, criar
Français	édifier
Deutsch	aufrichten
Italiano	sollevare, elevare
Русский	поднима́ть podnimátʹ, подня́ть podnjátʹ, возвыша́ть vozvyšátʹ, возвы́сить vozvýsitʹ, возноси́ть voznosítʹ, вознести́ voznestí
Tiếng Việt	nâng

verb to set up, construct

Español	construir
日本語	そびえ立つ sobietatsu
Português	erguer, erigir, construir
Italiano	edificare
Русский	возводи́ть vozvodítʹ, возвести́ vozvestí, воздвига́ть vozdvigátʹ, воздви́гнуть vozdvígnutʹ, сооружа́ть sooružátʹ, сооруди́ть soorudítʹ

verb to lift spiritually

Português	erguer
Français	ériger
Italiano	innalzare

adj being behind, or in the hindmost part

Español	trasero
한국어	뒤의 dwiui, 배후의 baehuui
日本語	後ろの ushiro no, 後方の kōhō no
中文	後面的 /后面的 hòumian de
Português	traseiro, posterior
Français	arrière, postérieur
Deutsch	hinter-
Italiano	retro, posteriore
Ελληνικά	πισινός pisinós
Русский	за́дний zádnij, ты́льный týlʹnyj, хвостово́й xvostovój
العربية	خَلْفِيّ ḵalfiyy

noun the back or hindmost part

Español	parte posterior, trasera, zaga, zaguera, parte trasera, parte de atrás
한국어	배후 baehu
日本語	後ろ ushiro, 後方 kōhō
中文	後面 /后面 hòumian
Português	traseira
Français	derrière
Deutsch	Hinterseite
Italiano	posteriore
Русский	за́дняя часть zádnjaja častʹ, за́дняя сторона́ zádnjaja storoná, зад zad, тыл tɨɫ

noun the posterior, butt(ocks)- only terms with directional notion

Português	traseiro, posterior
Français	derrière
Italiano	posteriore, retro, didietro

noun the part of an army or fleet which comes last

Español	retaguardia, rezaga
日本語	しんがり shingari
Português	retaguarda, zaga
Français	arrière-garde
Deutsch	Nachhut
Italiano	retroguardia
Ελληνικά	οπισθοφυλακή opisthofylakí
Русский	тыл tyl

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Cite this

MLA

"rear." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rear. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

rear. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rear

Chicago

"rear." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rear.

BibTeX

@misc{rear_2026,
  title = {rear},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rear},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}

rear

AI In plain words

rear¹

Where it comes from

verb rears · rearing · reared · reer · rere

rear²

Where it comes from

adjective

adverb

noun rears

verb rears · rearing · reared

rear³

Where it comes from

verb rears · rearing · reared · reer · rere

rear⁴

Where it comes from

adjective rearer · more rear · rearest · most rear · reer · rere

Thesaurus

Translations

verb to bring up to maturity

verb to breed and raise

verb to rise on the hind legs

verb to lift, raise etc. physically

verb to set up, construct

verb to lift spiritually

adj being behind, or in the hindmost part

noun the back or hindmost part

noun the posterior, butt(ocks)- only terms with directional notion

noun the part of an army or fleet which comes last

rear^¹

rear^²

rear^³

rear^⁴