preposition
- at or toward the rear of: Look behind the house.
- not keeping up with, later than; after: behind schedule.
- in the state of making less progress than: We can’t afford to fall behind our competitors.
- on the farther side of; beyond: behind the mountain.
- originating, supporting, or promoting: Who’s behind this program?
- hidden or unrevealed by: Malice lay behind her smile.
- at the controls of: behind the wheel of a car.
adverb
- at or toward the rear; rearward: to lag behind.
- in a place, state, or stage already passed.
- in arrears; behindhand: to be behind in one’s rent.
- slow, as a watch or clock: more than 20 minutes behind.
- as a cause or often latent feature of: Behind their harassment lay the traditional fear of foreigners.
- in a situation that exists afterward: The victim left behind a large family.
- Archaic. in reserve; to come: Greater support is yet behind.
adjective
- following: the man behind.
noun
- Informal. the buttocks.
preposition
- in or to a position further back than; at the rear of; at the back of
- in the past in relation toI’ve got the exams behind me now
- late according to; not keeping up withrunning behind schedule
- concerning the circumstances surroundingthe reasons behind his departure
- backing or supportingI’m right behind you in your application
adverb
- in or to a position further back; following
- remaining after someone’s departurehe left it behind
- in debt; in arrearsto fall behind with payments
adjective
- (postpositive) in a position further back; retardedthe man behind prodded me
noun
- informal the buttocks
- Australian rules football a score of one point made by kicking the ball over the behind line between a goalpost and one of the smaller outer posts (behind posts)
Old English behindan “behind, after,” from bi “by” + hindan “from behind” (see hind (adj.)). The prepositional sense emerged in Old English. Euphemistic noun meaning “backside of a person” is from 1786. Phrase behind the times is from 1905. Behind the scenes (1711) is from the theater; figurative sense attested by 1779.
In addition to the idioms beginning with behind
- behind bars
- behind closed doors
- behind in
- behind someone’s back
- behind the eight ball
- behind the scenes
- behind the times
- behind time
also see:
- come from behind
- drop behind
- fall behind
- get behind
- power behind the throne
- put behind one
- wet behind the ears
- with one arm tied behind one’s back