- behind
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/bi huynd"/, prep.1. at or toward the rear of: Look behind the house.2. not keeping up with, later than; after: behind schedule.3. in the state of making less progress than: We can't afford to fall behind our competitors.4. on the farther side of; beyond: behind the mountain.5. originating, supporting, or promoting: Who's behind this program?6. hidden or unrevealed by: Malice lay behind her smile.7. at the controls of: behind the wheel of a car.adv.8. at or toward the rear; rearward: to lag behind.9. in a place, state, or stage already passed.10. in arrears; behindhand: to be behind in one's rent.11. slow, as a watch or clock: more than 20 minutes behind.12. as a cause or often latent feature of: Behind their harassment lay the traditional fear of foreigners.13. in a situation that exists afterward: The victim left behind a large family.14. Archaic. in reserve; to come: Greater support is yet behind.adj.15. following: the man behind.n.16. Informal. the buttocks.Syn. 1, 2. BEHIND, AFTER both refer to a position following something else. BEHIND applies primarily to position in space, and suggests that one person or thing is at the back of another; it may also refer to (a fixed) time: He stood behind the chair. You are behind the appointed time. AFTER applies primarily to time; when it denotes position in space, it is not used with precision, and refers usually to bodies in motion: Rest after a hard day's work. They entered the room, one after another.
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Universalium. 2010.
