Behind — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adverb or adjective preposition noun adverb adjective /bi-ˈhīnd/ (adverb or adjective) /ˈbē-ˌhīnd/ (noun) be·hind

Meaning & Definition of Behind

Behind (adverb or adjective)

  1. in the place or situation that is being or has been departed from
  2. in, to, or toward the back
  3. later in time

Behind (preposition)

  1. in or to a place or situation in back of or to the rear of
  2. —used as a function word to indicate something that screens an observer
  3. following in order

Behind (noun)

  1. buttocks —often used as a euphemism for ass in idiomatic expressions

Behind (preposition) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. at, to, or toward the rear of

    "she preferred to be behind the lead hikers, who were always too much in a rush to enjoy the scenery"

    similar: abaft, back of, in back of
    opposite: before
    near: ahead of

  2. subsequent to in time or order

    "we arrived behind them"

    similar: after, après, below, following, next to, past
    related: since
    opposite: afore (chiefly dialect), ahead of, before, ere, of, previous to, prior to, to
    near: toward

Behind (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in back, backward

    similar: after, back, backward, posteriorly, rearward, abaft, aft, astern, sternward
    opposite: fore, forward, anteriorly, ahead, before

Behind (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not arriving, occurring, or settled at the due, usual, or proper time

    "the required work was behind, so now we're running late"

    similar: behindhand, belated, delinquent, late, latish, overdue, tardy
    related: delayed, detained, postponed, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, lagging, poky, slow, sluggish, unhurried
    opposite: early, inopportune, precocious, premature, unseasonable, untimely
    near: opportune, seasonable, timely, prompt, punctual

Behind (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the part of the body upon which someone sits

    "cleaned the baby's behind"

    similar: backside, booty (slang), bottom, breech, bum, buns, butt, buttocks, caboose, can, cheeks, derriere, duff, fanny, fundament, hams, haunches, heinie (slang), hunkers, keister (slang), nates, posterior, rear, rear end, rump, seat, tail, tail end, tush (slang)
    related: beam, stern, moon (slang)

Related Entry: Behind-the-scenes (adjective)

Behind-the-scenes is a different word from Behind. The synonyms below are for behind-the-scenes, not for behind.

  1. not known or meant to be known by the general populace

    "a tell-all book about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that got him the vice presidential nomination"

    similar: confidential, esoteric, hush-hush, hushed, inside, intimate, nonpublic, private, privy, secret
    related: classified, restricted, top secret, silent, unadvertised, unannounced, undisclosed, unmentioned, unsaid, untold, clandestine, closet, collusive, conspiratorial, covert, furtive, hugger-mugger, occult, sneak, sneaking, sneaky, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, underground, underhand, underhanded, personal, closeted, concealed, hidden, repressed, silenced, stifled, suppressed, backstage, offscreen, offstage
    opposite: common, open, public
    near: well-known, advertised, aired, announced, blazed, broadcast, declared, disclosed, divulged, enunciated, heralded, proclaimed, professed, promulgated, publicized, published, reported, spotlighted, general, popular, prevailing, vulgar, current, prevalent, rife, widespread, communal, shared

  2. undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others

    "behind-the-scenes negotiations that resulted in the hostages being released unharmed"

    similar: backstairs, clandestine, covert, furtive, hole-and-corner, hugger-mugger, hush-hush, private, privy, secret, sneak, sneaking, sneaky, stealth, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, underground, underhand, underhanded
    related: back-channel, closed-door, off-the-books, off-the-record, classified, confidential, restricted, top secret, undisclosed, concealed, hidden, secreted, subterranean, unadvertised, unexposed
    opposite: open, overt, public
    near: acknowledged, avowed, aboveboard, straightforward, unconcealed, undisguised, unclassified, unrestricted, clear, evident, manifest, obvious, patent, plain

Related Entry: Behind bars (phrase)

Behind bars is a different word from Behind. The synonyms below are for behind bars, not for behind.

  1. taken and held prisoner

    "The con artist was behind bars for printing fake checks."

    similar: apprehended, arrested, captive, captured, caught, confined, imprisoned, incarcerated, interned, jailed
    related: bound, enslaved, indentured, ensnared, trapped, abducted, kidnapped, subdued, subjugated, occupied
    opposite: free
    near: unconfined, unrestrained, delivered, emancipated, enfranchised, freed, liberated, paroled, released

Related Entry: Drop behind (phrase)

Drop behind is a different word from Behind. The synonyms below are for drop behind, not for behind.

  1. to move or act slowly

    "He dropped behind in the second half of the race."

    similar: crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, delay, diddle, dillydally, drag, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag, mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry, drag one's feet, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time
    related: fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge, amble, ease, inch, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll, decelerate, slow (down or up), filibuster, procrastinate, stall, temporize
    opposite: barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz, zip
    near: bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede, gallop, jog, run, sprint, trot, accelerate, quicken, speed (up), catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake

Related Entry: Fall behind (phrase)

Fall behind is a different word from Behind. The synonyms below are for fall behind, not for behind.

  1. to move or act slowly

    "He lost his footing and fell behind in the relay."

    similar: crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, delay, diddle, dillydally, drag, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag, mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry, drag one's feet, drop behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time
    related: fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge, amble, ease, inch, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll, decelerate, slow (down or up), filibuster, procrastinate, stall, temporize
    opposite: barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz, zip
    near: bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede, gallop, jog, run, sprint, trot, accelerate, quicken, speed (up), catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake

Related Entry: Wet behind the ears (phrase)

Wet behind the ears is a different word from Behind. The synonyms below are for wet behind the ears, not for behind.

  1. lacking in adult experience or maturity

    "The new intern is still a little wet behind the ears."

    similar: adolescent, callow, green, immature, inexperienced, juvenile, puerile, raw, unfledged, unformed, unripe, unripened
    related: babyish, childish, infantile, infantilized, infantine, boyish, girlish, juvenescent, kiddish, young, youngish, youthful, maidenly, virginal, ingenuous, innocent, naive, tender, unknowing, unseasoned, unsophisticated, untrained, untried
    opposite: adult, experienced, grown-up, mature, ripe
    near: advanced, precocious, knowing, savvy, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise

Related Entry: Fallen behind (phrase)

Fallen behind is a different word from Behind. The synonyms below are for fallen behind, not for behind.

  1. to move or act slowly

    "He lost his footing and fell behind in the relay."

    similar: crawled, crept, dallied, dawdled, delayed, diddled, dillydallied, dragged, lagged, lingered, loitered, lollygagged, moped, poked, shilly-shallied, tarried, dragged one's feet, dropped behind, hung fire, marked time, taken one's time
    related: fiddled (around), fooled around, messed around, monkeyed (around), played, pottered (around), puttered (around), trifled, hung (around or out), idled, loafed, lolled, lounged, ambled, eased, inched, lumbered, plodded, sauntered, shuffled, staggered, strolled, decelerated, slowed (down or up), filibustered, procrastinated, stalled, temporized
    opposite: barreled, bolted, careered, coursed, dashed, flown, hastened, hotfooted (it), hurried, raced, ripped, rocketed, run, rushed, scooted, scudded, scurried, sped, torn, whirled, whisked, whizzed, zipped
    near: bowled, breezed, darted, humped, hurtled, hustled, scrambled, stampeded, galloped, jogged, run, sprinted, trotted, accelerated, quickened, sped (up), caught up, fast-forwarded, outpaced, outrun, outstripped, overtaken

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Behind

The most common words with a similar meaning to Behind:

Slang: booty, heinie, keister, tush
abaft, back of, after, après, below, following, next to, past, in back of, back, backward, posteriorly, rearward, aft, astern, sternward, behindhand, belated, delinquent, late, latish, overdue, tardy, backside, bottom, breech, bum, buns, butt, buttocks, caboose, can, cheeks, derriere, duff, fanny, fundament, hams, haunches, hunkers

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Behind

Words with the opposite meaning of Behind:

before, afore, ahead of, ere, of, previous to, prior to, to, fore, forward, anteriorly, ahead, early, inopportune, precocious, premature, unseasonable, untimely

Related Words for Behind

since, delayed, detained, postponed, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, lagging, poky, slow, sluggish, unhurried, beam, stern, moon

Near Antonyms of Behind

toward, opportune, seasonable, timely, prompt, punctual

Origin & Etymology of Behind

Middle English behinde, from Old English behindan, from be- + hindan from behind; akin to Old English hinder behind hind

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Behind

Words & Phrases Containing Behind

behind bars, behind one's back, behind the eight ball, behind the scenes, behind-the-scenes, behind the wheel, behind closed doors

Frequently Asked Questions about Behind

What does "Behind" mean?

"Behind" means in the place or situation that is being or has been departed from. As an an adverb or adjective, a preposition, a noun, an adverb and an adjective, it is defined as: in the place or situation that is being or has been departed from. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Behind"?

Other words for "Behind" include abaft, back of, after, après, below, following, next to and past. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Behind" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Behind"?

There are 70 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Behind". Common alternatives include abaft, back of, after, après, below, following, next to, past, in back of and back.

What is a slang word for "Behind"?

Slang words for "Behind" include booty, heinie, keister and tush.

What is the opposite of "Behind"?

Antonyms of "Behind" include before, afore, ahead of, ere, of, previous to, prior to and to. Near antonyms include toward, opportune, seasonable and timely.

How do you use "Behind" in a sentence?

Examples of "Behind" in a sentence: "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".

Is "Behind" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Behind" can be used as an adverb or adjective, a preposition, a noun, an adverb and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Behind" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Behind" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.