- another name for tailboard
a door at the rear of a hatchback vehicle a gate that is used to control the flow of water at the lower end of a lock
to drive very close behind (a vehicle)
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
tail•gate1 /ˈteɪlˌgeɪt/USA pronunciation
n., v., -gat•ed, -gat•ing, adj.
n. [countable]
v.
adj. [before a noun]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026n. [countable]
- Transporta gate at the back of a wagon, truck, etc., that can be removed or let down for loading or unloading.
v.
- Transportto drive dangerously close to the rear of another vehicle: [no object]Some jerk behind us is tailgating.[~ + object]The truck tailgated the little car.
- to have a picnic on a tailgate, esp. of a station wagon:[no object]tailgating before the big game.
adj. [before a noun]
- set up on a tailgate or near an automobile, as in a parking lot:a tailgate picnic.
tail•gate1
(tāl′gāt′),USA pronunciation n., v., -gat•ed, -gat•ing, adj.
n.
v.i.
v.t.
adj.
tail•gate2 (tāl′gāt′),USA pronunciation n. [Jazz.]
n.
- Transportthe board or gate at the back of a wagon, truck, station wagon, etc., which can be removed or let down for convenience in loading or unloading.
v.i.
- Transportto follow or drive hazardously close to the rear of another vehicle.
v.t.
- Transportto follow or drive hazardously close to the rear of (another vehicle).
adj.
- pertaining to or set up on a tailgate:a tailgate picnic before the football game.
- tail1 + gate 1850–55, American.
tail•gate2 (tāl′gāt′),USA pronunciation n. [Jazz.]
- Music and Dancea style of playing the trombone, esp. in Dixieland jazz, distinguished esp. by the use of melodic counterpoint and long glissandi.
- so called from the usual seat of trombonists in trucks carrying musicians during a parade 1945–50
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'tailgate' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):