Behind
/bɪˈhaɪnd/
prepositionBeginnerVery CommonGeneral
Idiom
Meanings
Questions
Definitions
2 meanings1
At the rear of; in the back of; following.
/bɪˈhaɪnd/
prepositionneutralBeginner
General
At the back of; further back than.
The dog is running behind the car.
💡 Simply: In back of.
More Examples
2
The book is behind the desk.
How It's Used
General
"The car is parked behind the house."
Spatial
"She stood behind him, watching."
2
Later than expected; lagging.
/bɪˈhaɪnd/
adverbneutralBeginner
General
In, at, or to the rear.
The project is behind schedule.
💡 Simply: Falling back or lagging.
More Examples
2
He's fallen behind in his work.
How It's Used
General
"He fell behind in his studies."
Tip:Think of being 'behind' schedule.
Idioms & expressions
behind the scenes
Secretly; out of public view.
"Much work goes on behind the scenes."
From Old English *behīn̄d, from be- + hindan.
The word 'behind' has consistently referred to a position at the rear since Old English.
Memory tip
Think of being 'behind' something physically.
Practice
behidebehiend
Usage
70%Spoken
30%Written