behind

Not advanced to the required or expected degree; overdue or in arrears.

Adjective

  1. Not advanced to the required or expected degree; overdue or in arrears.
    • I'm very behind in my schedule.
    • My employer is two paychecks behind on paying my salary.
  2. Slow.
    • My watch is behind by four minutes.

    Antonyms: ahead fast

Origin

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”).

Forms

more behind behinder most behind behindest ahind behine

Adverb

  1. At or in the rear or back part of something.
    • The water flows out through the pipe, and the sediment collects behind.
  2. In a rearward direction.
    • We ran and ran, without once looking behind.
  3. So as to come after someone or something in position, distance, advancement, ranking, time, etc.
    • 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.
  4. So as to be still in place after someone or something has departed or ceased to exist.
    • 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.
  5. Backward in time or order of succession; past.
    • […] forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Philippians 3:13:
  6. Behind the scenes in a theatre; backstage.
    • ‘After the performance was over I went behind, and spoke to her.’ - 1890, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Vintage, published 2007, page 68:
  7. Not yet brought forward, produced, or exhibited to view; out of sight; remaining.
    • We cannot be sure that there is no evidence behind. - 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 4, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC,...

Forms

more behind behinder most behind behindest ahind behine

Noun

  1. The rear, back-end.
    • This part fits under the behind of the vehicle.
    • She sneaked up on me from behind.
  2. The buttocks, bottom, butt.
    • I was stung on the behind by a wasp.
    • There was a girl in the mattress factory with me during the war, girl about thirty. A big one, kind of a fat face, big behind to her, big titties, kind of a girl should be human and soft with a man. - 1949 May, Albert...
    • "So the catheter didn't have anything to do with keeping him from touching himself?" I don't usually go in for euphemisms, but Fineg is a man who says "behind", as in "I have a picture where he bit me in the behind."...
  3. Synonym of ass (“synecdochic: a person or their body”).
    • Get your lazy behind out of bed!

    Synonyms: ass

  4. A one-point score.
    • A roar from ten thousand throats go up, For we've kicked another behind. - 1880, “The Opening Ball”, in G. Lehmann, editor, Comic Australian Verse, 1975, quoted in G. A. Wilkes, A Dictionary of Australian...
  5. The catcher.
  6. 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).

Forms

behinds ahind behine

Related

hind hiney

Derived

behind bars behind closed doors behindhand behind in the count behind somebody's back behind the arc behind the bit behind the counter behind the eight-ball behind the scenes behind the wheel caught behind come from behind drop behind fall behind get behind get thee behind me leave behind rushed behind stay behind wet behind the ears

Preposition

  1. At or to the back or far side of.
    • The children were hiding behind the wall.
    • Behind the garage needs clearing asap.
    • The sun went behind the clouds.

    Synonyms: in back of to the rear of a-back

    Antonyms: in front of

    1. (figuratively) Concealed by (something serving as a facade or disguise).

      • Behind the smile was a cruel intention.

      Synonyms: in back of to the rear of a-back

      Antonyms: in front of

    2. (figuratively) In the past, from the viewpoint of.

      • All my problems are behind me.

      Synonyms: in back of to the rear of a-back

      Antonyms: in front of

  2. Less forward or advanced than; after.
    • Smith finished the race a lap behind the others.
    • About the center, and a good way behind the rest, Silver and I followed — I tethered by my rope[…]. - 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island:

    Antonyms: ahead of

    1. After in physical progress or distance.

    2. After in developmental progress, score, grade, etc.; inferior to.

      • I'm ranked sixth in the French class, behind five other pupils.
      • In the cricket match, England are 120 runs behind India.
      • For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 11:5:

      Antonyms: ahead of

    3. After in time.

      • London is nine hours behind Tokyo.

      Antonyms: ahead of

  3. Responsible for, being the creator or controller of.
    • Who is behind these terrorist attacks?
    • Mr Jones was the man behind the redevelopment plan.
    • Bud Light replaces Marketing VP behind Dylan Mulvaney partnership. - 2023, Ian Miller, OutKick:
  4. Underlying, being the reason for or explanation of.
    • What is behind this unexpected decision?
  5. In support of.
    • The republicans are fully behind their candidate.
  6. Following, subsequent to; as a result or consequence of; because of.
    • He was like, 'Fuck the police! Fuck you! You know who I am, you gonna quit playing with me, bitch.' I'm like let's go. 'Cause I wasn't trying to go to jail behind that shit. - 2012, DeShawn Dorsey, Longsuffering Through...

Forms

ahind behine

Derived

behind center behinded behind every successful man there stands a woman behind its time behindness behind post behind someone's back behind the 8-ball behind the curtain behind the curve behind the ear behind the eight ball behind the eightball behind-the-scenes behind the times behind the wire behind time dry behind the ears green behind the ears hidebehind jump up behind nut behind the bolt power behind the throne put behind one