behind Meaning & Definition
What Does Behind Mean?
As an adverb or adjective, behind means in the place or situation that is being or has been departed from. It is also used to mean in, to, or toward the back. As a preposition, it means in or to a place or situation in back of or to the rear of. As a noun, it means buttocks.
Behind in Brief
| Part of speech | adverb or adjective, preposition, noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /bi-ˈhīnd/ |
| Syllables | 2 |
| Synonyms | stern, butt and ass |
| Antonyms | before, ahead of and afore |
| Plural | behinds |
| Comparative / superlative | more behind, most behind |
| First known use | 1830 |
Behind Definition (Adverb Or Adjective)
- in the place or situation that is being or has been departed from
stay behind
- in, to, or toward the back
look behind / came from behind
- later in time
can spring be far behind
- in a secondary or inferior position
- in arrears
behind in the rent
- slow
- still to come
Behind as a Preposition
- in or to a place or situation in back of or to the rear of
look behind you / put behind bars
- following in order
marched behind the band
- in the background of
the conditions behind the strike
- out of the mind or consideration of
put our troubles behind us
- beyond in depth or time
the story behind the story / go back behind St. Augustine
- in support of : on the side of
solidly behind the candidate
- with the support of
won 1–0 behind brilliant pitching
Behind as a Noun
- buttocks
Synonyms of Behind
Antonyms of Behind
Behind in a Sentence
The children were hiding behind the wall.
Behind the garage needs clearing asap.
The sun went behind the clouds.
Look behind you!
I hide behind you in hide and seek.
Behind the smile was a cruel intention.
All my problems are behind me.
Smith finished the race a lap behind the others.
I'm ranked sixth in the French class, behind five other pupils.
In the cricket match, England are 120 runs behind India.
London is nine hours behind Tokyo.
Who is behind these terrorist attacks?
Mr Jones was the man behind the redevelopment plan.
What is behind this unexpected decision?
The republicans are fully behind their candidate.
The water flows out through the pipe, and the sediment collects behind.
We ran and ran, without once looking behind.
The slower runners were left a long way behind.
In the cricket match, England finished a long way behind.
The worst thing about autumn is that winter follows behind.
I couldn't be bothered to carry the ironing board, so I left it behind.
He stayed behind after the war.
He left behind a legacy of death and sorrow.
The island was inundated by the sea, leaving not a trace behind.
I'm very behind in my schedule.
My employer is two paychecks behind on paying my salary.
My watch is behind by four minutes.
This part fits under the behind of the vehicle.
She sneaked up on me from behind.
I was stung on the behind by a wasp.
Get your lazy behind out of bed!
stay behind
look behind
came from behind
can spring be far behind
behind in the rent
look behind you
put behind bars
marched behind the band
the conditions behind the strike
put our troubles behind us
the story behind the story
go back behind St. Augustine
solidly behind the candidate
won 1–0 behind brilliant pitching
she preferred to be behind the lead hikers, who were always too much in a rush to enjoy the scenery
we arrived behind them
the required work was behind, so now we're running late
cleaned the baby's behind
look behind / came from behind
look behind you / put behind bars
the story behind the story / go back behind St. Augustine
Word Forms & Grammar
behind
behinds
behind (comparative more behind or (rare or nonstandard) behinder, superlative most behind or (rare or nonstandard) behindest)
behind (plural behinds)
Words That Rhyme With Behind
Origin of Behind
Origin 1: Middle English behinde, from Old English behindan, from be- + hindan from behind; akin to Old English hinder behind hind
Origin 2: Middle English behinde, behinden, from behinde, behinden, behind:1
Origin 3: noun derivative of behind:1
Origin 4: 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”).
First Known Use
before 12th century
circa 1830
How Do You Say Behind?
Behind is pronounced /bi-ˈhīnd/ and has 2 syllables, with the main stress on the second syllable (hīnd).
Questions People Ask About Behind
Is behind an adverb or adjective or a preposition?
Behind is mainly used as an adverb or adjective, but it can also be used as a preposition and a noun.
What is another word for behind?
Close synonyms of behind are stern, butt and ass. See the full list of behind synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of behind?
The plural of behind is behinds.
What are the comparative and superlative forms of behind?
The comparative form is more behind and the superlative form is most behind.