tailgate
English · Thesaurus
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
tailgate¹
- /ˈteɪlˌɡeɪt/ UK, US
Where it comes from
From tail + gate. Compare liftgate.
noun tailgates · tail-gate · tail gate
-
A hinged board or hatch at the rear of a vehicle that can be lowered for loading and unloading.
Drop the tailgate, please, and I'll load these pallets.
Similar: tailboard
-
The hinged rear door of a hatchback.
Open up the tailgate, please, and retrieve her suitcases.
Similar: hatch
-
The downstream gate in the lock on a canal or river, or in an irrigation system.
The locktender closed the tailgate and the chamber started to fill.
Opposite: headgate
- Ellipsis of tailgate party Are you coming to the tailgate? We'll be grilling brisket.
- A tunnel for drawing spent air away from the working face of a mine.
verb tailgates · tailgating · tailgated · tail-gate · tail gate
- To drive dangerously close behind another vehicle. If that idiot keeps tailgating our car they'll end up rear-endeding us.
- To follow another person through access control on their access, rather than on one’s own credentials, especially when entering a door controlled by a card reader. An email circulated to ABC employees says Gallagher is believed to have tailgated staff walking through the building’s high-security doors.
- To privately purchase or sell a security immediately after trading in the same security for a client.
- To participate in a tailgate party. “Hey, what are you guys doing?” “Dude, we're gonna tailgate the tryouts.” “Oh, shit. That's a good idea. Oh, you gonna bust out Green Man, bro?” “No. No Green Man.” “What's Green Man?” “Well, in high school, Charlie was like our school mascot.” “A mascot nobody wanted. He'd get wasted and dress in t
Tailgate²
Where it comes from
From tail + -gate, with reference to tail (“sexual intercourse”), as a pun on tailgate.
proper noun
-
Synonym of Monicagate.
Similar: Monicagate
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: tailboard, fender, taillight, door, hatch, gate, trunk, liftgate, tailgate party, lift, midgate, endgate, loading bay, decklid, trunklid, hatchback
Translations
Every language
noun hinged board or hatch at the rear of a vehicle
| Español | puerta trasera |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 後擋板 /后挡板 hòudǎngbǎn |
| Français | hayon |
| Deutsch | Heckklappe |
| Italiano | portellone |
| Русский | за́дний борт zádnij bort |
noun either of the downstream gates in a canal lock
| Français | vantail, porte |
|---|---|
| Русский | спускно́й шлюз spusknój šljuz |
verb drive dangerously close behind another vehicle
| Español | chupar rueda, conducir pegado a, conducir muy cerca de otro vehículo, conducir sin distancia de seguridad |
|---|---|
| Français | coller, coller aux basques, coller au train, coller au cul |
| Deutsch | dicht auffahren, drängeln |
| Русский | не соблюда́ть диста́нцию ne sobljudátʹ distánciju, не соблюсти́ диста́нцию ne sobljustí distánciju |
| Tiếng Việt | bám sát đuôi, dí đít |
verb to follow another person through access control on their access, rather than on one’s own credentials, especially when entering a door controlled by a card read
| Русский | проходить паровозиком proxoditʹ |
|---|
Talk about this word "tailgate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tailgate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tailgate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tailgate "tailgate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tailgate.Cite this
@misc{tailgate_2026,
title = {tailgate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tailgate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
