behind 1 of 4

1
as in back of
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in after
subsequent to in time or order we arrived behind them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

behind

2 of 4

adjective

behind

3 of 4

noun

behind

4 of 4

adverb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of behind
Adjective
Messi is now playing in the US with Inter Miami and has been behind a huge popularity boost in the MLS. Laporta, though, is wary of comparing Yamal to Messi and wants the youngster to instead focus on his own game. Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 1 Aug. 2025 After waving to someone off-camera, Warren crossed her arms and leaned back onto a desk that was behind her. Angel Saunders, People.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Adverb
Why Contacts Cause Dry Eyes Wearing contact lenses splits the tear film of your eyes into two layers, one in front of the contact and the other behind. Suchandrima Bhowmik, Health, 26 Apr. 2025 On March 1, bullfighter Emilio Macias was seriously injured in the neighboring state of Tlaxcala after being pierced in the behind by a bull’s horn. Reuters, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for behind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behind
Preposition
  • Before the weather moved over the area, players stood in the back of pickup trucks with their numbers emblazoned on the side and rode around the half-mile racetrack.
    Teresa M. Walker, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
  • Look inside garments for the care tag—typically located at the back of the neck or on the wearer's left side seam, near the bottom—and follow the instructions carefully.
    Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2025
Preposition
  • And Saturday, of course, is the one day of the week (in English) named after a Roman god.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Nikki returned to the ring in February for the first time in three years after her retirement and divorce from Artem Chigvintsev, following months of legal battles.
    Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The front seat offers supportive and comfortable Nappa leather sport seats.
    Mark Phelan, Freep.com, 31 July 2025
  • Ohio and Missouri, which could render four more Republican seats, combined, are also looking at redistricting.
    Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
Adjective
  • Follow his latest dining adventures on Instagram @keithpandolfi or via the At the Table newsletter.
    Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 30 July 2025
  • Residents can request late billing, where the fee will not be due until two years after construction is completed, Rutenbeck said.
    Alyssa N. Salcedo, jsonline.com, 30 July 2025
Noun
  • In front of this, a huge sculpture of a whale’s tail is another reminder of the ocean life outside the walls—where guests can set sail for day trips, surrounded by giddy dolphins, and where the edge of Morocco can be seen on a clear day.
    Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
  • These meteors may have tails that linger slightly longer than those of the Aquariids, says Nick Moskovitz, an assistant astronomer at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, to Christina Larson at the Associated Press.
    Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 July 2025
Adverb
  • By 2022, Leon said a nationwide change pushed back on criminally charging minors for repeat violations of ordinances that aren't against the law for adults.
    David Ferrara, The Enquirer, 25 July 2025
  • Jim and Jeremy Janssen now live in North Carolina and Maryland, respectively — but traveled back to Detroit with a slew of family members for the puppet's induction into the Detroit Historical Museum.
    Emma George-Griffin, Freep.com, 25 July 2025
Adjective
  • The Department’s data are not final cohort default rates but rather a proxy using interim data: the percentage of borrowers who entered repayment after January 2020 and were either in default or more than 90 days delinquent as of May 2025.
    Robert Farrington, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
  • Getty/Newsweek Between January and March, 13.7 percent of student loan borrowers were 90 or more days delinquent on their payments, while 23.7 percent were behind on payments but less than 90 days delinquent.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025
Noun
  • An older woman, a friend of my mother’s (my mother was also a teacher at the school), walked over and pinched my cheeks, first one and then the other, as an adult might do to an infant.
    Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Ironically, her swollen face looks plump and round despite her partial buccal fat removal — a procedure that extracts the soft pads of tissue found inside the cheeks to create a slimmer face.
    Leah Dolan, CNN, 22 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Behind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behind. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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