bring up the rear

- 3 dictionary results

rear

1 [reer]

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–noun

1.	the back of something, as distinguished from the front: The porch is at the rear of the house.

2.	the space or position behind something: The bus driver asked the passengers to move to the rear.

3.	the buttocks; rump.

4.	the hindmost portion of an army, fleet, etc.

–adjective

5.	pertaining to or situated at the rear of something: the rear door of a bus.

—Idiom

6.	bring up the rear, to be at the end; follow behind: The army retreated, and the fleeing civilian population brought up the rear.

Origin:
1590–1600; aph. var. of arrear

Synonyms:
5. See back ¹ .

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bring (brĭng)

tr.v. brought (brôt), bring·ing, brings

To carry, convey, lead, or cause to go along to another place: brought enough money with me.
To carry as an attribute or contribution: You bring many years of experience to your new post.
To lead or force into a specified state, situation, or location: bring the water to a boil; brought the meeting to a close.
1. To persuade; induce: The defendant's testimony brought others to confess.
2. To get the attention of; attract: Smoke and flames brought the neighbors.
3. To reveal or expose: brought out the facts.
4. To introduce (a debutante) to society.
To cause to occur as a consequence or concomitant: Floods brought destruction to the valley. For many, the fall brings hayfever.
To cause to become apparent to the mind; recall: This music brings back memories.
Law To advance or set forth (charges) in a court.
To sell for: a portrait that brought a million dollars.
To cause to adopt an opinion or take a certain course of action.
To cause to recover consciousness.
To cause to fall or collapse.
To kill.
To give rise to; produce: plants bringing forth fruit.
To give birth to (young).
To present; produce: bring forward proof.
Accounting To carry (a sum) from one page or column to another.
Law To give or submit (a verdict) to a court.
To produce, yield, or earn (profits or income).
1. To reveal or expose: brought out the facts.
2. To introduce (a debutante) to society.
To produce or publish: bring out a new book.
To nurture and develop (a quality, for example) to best advantage: You bring out the best in me.
To cause to recover consciousness.
Nautical To cause (a ship) to turn into the wind or come to a stop.
To take care of and educate (a child); rear.
To introduce into discussion; mention.
To vomit.
To cause to come to a sudden stop.

Phrasal Verb(s):
bring around/round

To cause to adopt an opinion or take a certain course of action.
To cause to recover consciousness.

bring down

To cause to fall or collapse.
To kill.

bring forth

To give rise to; produce: plants bringing forth fruit.
To give birth to (young).

bring forward

To present; produce: bring forward proof.
Accounting To carry (a sum) from one page or column to another.

bring in

Law To give or submit (a verdict) to a court.
To produce, yield, or earn (profits or income).

bring offTo accomplish: bring off a successful advertising campaign.
bring onTo cause to appear: brought on the dessert.
bring out

1. To reveal or expose: brought out the facts.
2. To introduce (a debutante) to society.
To produce or publish: bring out a new book.
To nurture and develop (a quality, for example) to best advantage: You bring out the best in me.

bring to

To cause to recover consciousness.
Nautical To cause (a ship) to turn into the wind or come to a stop.

bring up

To take care of and educate (a child); rear.
To introduce into discussion; mention.
To vomit.
To cause to come to a sudden stop.

Idiom(s):
bring down the houseTo win overwhelming approval from an audience.

Idiom(s):
bring homeTo make perfectly clear: a lecture that brought home several important points.

Idiom(s):
bring home the bacon

To earn a living, especially for a family.
To achieve desired results; have success.

Idiom(s):
bring to bear

To exert; apply: bring pressure to bear on the student's parents.
To put (something) to good use: "All of one's faculties are brought to bear in an effort to become fully incorporated into the landscape" (Barry Lopez).

Idiom(s):
bring to lightTo reveal or disclose: brought the real facts to light.

Idiom(s):
bring to mindTo cause to be remembered: Thoughts of fishing brought to mind our youth.

Idiom(s):
bring to (one's) kneesTo reduce to a position of subservience or submission.

Idiom(s):
bring to termsTo force (another) to agree.

Idiom(s):
bring up the rearTo be the last in a line or sequence.

[Middle English bringen, from Old English bringan; see bher-¹ in Indo-European roots.]
bring'er n.

Usage Note: In most dialects of American English bring is used to denote motion toward the place of speaking or the place from which the action is regarded: Bring it over here. The prime minister brought a large retinue to Washington with her. Take is used to denote motion away from such a place: Take it over there. The President will take several advisers with him when he goes to Moscow. When the relevant point of focus is not the place of speaking itself, the difference obviously depends on the context. We can say either The labor leaders brought or took their requests to the mayor's office, depending on whether we want to describe things from the point of view of the labor leaders or the mayor. Perhaps for this reason, the distinction between bring and take has been blurred in some areas; a parent may say of a child, for example, She always takes a pile of books home with her from school. This usage may sound curious to those who are accustomed to observe the distinction more strictly, but it bears no particular stigma of incorrectness or illiteracy. · The form brung is common in colloquial use in many areas, even among educated speakers, but it is not standard in formal writing.

Idioms & Phrases

bring up the rear

Be last in a line or sequence, as in As a slow walker, I'm used to bringing up the rear, or In test results Tom always brought up the rear. This term almost certainly came from the military but the earliest citation given by the Oxford English Dictionary is from a 1643 religious treatise by Sir Thomas Browne: "My desires onely are . . . to be but the last man, and bring up the Rere in Heaven."

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