Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Behind

Be-hind′

,
p
rep.
[AS.
behindan
; pref.
be-
+
hindan
. See
Hind
,
Adj.
]
1.
On the side opposite the front or nearest part; on the back side of; at the back of; on the other side of;
as,
behind
a door;
behind
a hill
.
A tall Brabanter,
behind
whom I stood.
Bp. Hall.
2.
Left after the departure of, whether this be by removing to a distance or by death.
A small part of what he left
behind
him.
Pope.
3.
Left a distance by, in progress of improvement Hence: Inferior to in dignity, rank, knowledge, or excellence, or in any achievement.
I was not a whit
behind
the very chiefest apostles.
2 Cor. xi. 5.

Be-hind′

,
adv.
1.
At the back part; in the rear.
“I shall not lag behind.”
Milton.
2.
Toward the back part or rear; backward;
as, to look
behind
.
3.
Not yet brought forward, produced, or exhibited to view; out of sight; remaining.
We can not be sure that there is no evidence
behind
.
Locke.
4.
Backward in time or order of succession; past.
Forgetting those things which are
behind
.
Phil. ii. 13.
5.
After the departure of another;
as, to stay
behind
.
Leave not a rack
behind
.
Shakespeare

Be-hind′

,
Noun.
The backside; the rump.
[Low]

Webster 1828 Edition


Behind

BEHIND

, prep.
1.
At the back of another; as, to ride behind a horseman.
2.
On the back part, at any distance; in the rear; as, to walk behind another.
3.
Remaining; left after the departure of another, whether by removing to a distance, or by death; as, a man leaves his servant behind him, or his estate at his decease.
4.
Left at a distance, in progress or improvement; as, one student is behind another in mathematics.
5.
Inferior to another in dignity and excellence.
For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. 2 Cor.11.
6.
On the side opposite to that which fronts a person; on the other side; as behind a bed; behind a hill; behind a house, tree, or rock.
Behind the back, in scripture, signifies,out of notice, or regard; overlooked; disregarded.
They cast thy laws behind their backs. Neh.19. Is.38.

BEHIND

,
adv.
[be and hind.] Out of sight; not produced, or exhibited to view; remaining; as, we know no what evidence is behind.
1.
Backwards; on the back-part; as, to look behind.
2.
Past in the progress of time.
3.
Future, or remaining to be endured.
And fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh. Col.1.
4.
Remaining after a payment; unpaid; as, there is a large sum behind.
5.
Remaining after the departure of; as, he departed and left us behind.

Definition 2024


behind

behind

English

Alternative forms

Preposition

behind

  1. At the back of; positioned with something else in front of.
    The car is behind the wall.
    • 1879, Richard Jefferies, The Amateur Poacher, chapter1:
      But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶ [] The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window [], and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge, little dreaming that the deadly tube was levelled at them.
    • 2013 July 19, Timothy Garton Ash, Where Dr Pangloss meets Machiavelli”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 18:
      Hidden behind thickets of acronyms and gorse bushes of detail, a new great game is under way across the globe. Some call it geoeconomics, but it's geopolitics too. The current power play consists of an extraordinary range of countries simultaneously sitting down to negotiate big free trade and investment agreements.
  2. To the back of. (Can we clean up(+) this sense?)
  3. After, time- or motion-wise.
  4. Responsible for.
  5. In support of.
    The republicans are fully behind their candidate.
  6. Left a distance by, in progress or improvement; inferior to.
    I'm ranked sixth in the French class, behind five other pupils.
    • Bible, 2 Corinthians xi.5:
      I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.

Synonyms

Translations

Adverb

behind (comparative behinder or more behind, superlative behindest or most behind)

  1. At the back part; in the rear. (Can we clean up(+) this sense?)
    • Milton
      I shall not lag behind.
  2. Toward the back part or rear; backward.
    to look behind
  3. Overdue, in arrears.
    My employer is two paychecks behind on paying my salary.
    I'm two weeks behind in my schedule.
  4. Slow; of a watch or clock.
    My watch is four minutes behind.
  5. existing afterwards
    He left behind a legacy of death and sorrow.
    He stayed behind after the war.
    • Shakespeare
      Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, / And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, / Leave not a rack behind.
  6. Backward in time or order of succession; past.
    • Bible, Phil. ii. 13
      forgetting those things which are behind
  7. Behind the scenes in a theatre; backstage.
    • 1890, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Vintage 2007, page 68:
      ‘After the performance was over I went behind, and spoke to her.’
  8. (archaic) Not yet brought forward, produced, or exhibited to view; out of sight; remaining.
    • John Locke
      We cannot be sure that there is no evidence behind.

Usage notes

For usage in phrasal verbs, see Category:English phrasal verbs with particle (behind).

Translations

Noun

behind (plural behinds)

  1. the rear, back-end
  2. butt, the buttocks, bottom
  3. (Australian rules football) A one-point score.
    • 1880. "The Opening Ball" in Comic Australian Verse, ed. G. Lehmann, 1975. Quoted in G. A. Wilkes, A Dictionary of Australian Colloquialisms, second edition, 1985, Sydney University Press, ISBN 0-424-00113-6.
      A roar from ten thousand throats go up,
      For we've kicked another behind.
  4. (baseball, slang, 1800s) The catcher.
  5. 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).

Translations

Derived terms

Related terms

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: air · reason · feel · #370: behind · sn · really · replied

References

  • Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8