behind
♦♦♦ be|hind1 /bɪh'aɪnd/ (behind) PREPOSITION AND ADVERB USES
In addition to the uses shown below, behind is also used in a few phrasal verbs, such as `fall behind' and `lie behind'.
Please look at category 14 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1 [PREP]
If something is behind a thing or person, it is on the other side of them from you, or nearer their back rather than their front.
I put one of the cushions behind his head...
They were parked behind the truck...
[ADV] usu n ADV, from ADV
Behind is also an adverb.
Rising into the hills behind are 800 acres of parkland...
She was attacked from behind.
2 [PREP]
If you are walking or travelling behind someone or something, you are following them.
Keith wandered along behind him...
Myra and Sam and the children were driving behind them.
[ADV] ADV after v
Behind is also an adverb.
The troopers followed behind, every muscle tensed for the sudden gunfire.
3 [PREP]
If someone is behind a desk, counter, or bar, they are on the other side of it from where you are.
The colonel was sitting behind a cheap wooden desk...
He could just about see the little man behind the counter.
4 [PREP] PREP pron
When you shut a door or gate behind you, you shut it after you have gone through it.
I walked out and closed the door behind me...
He slammed the gate shut behind him.
5 [PREP]
The people, reason, or events behind a situation are the causes of it or are responsible for it.
It is still not clear who was behind the killing...
He is embarrassed about the motives behind his decision.
6 [PREP] PREP pron
If something or someone is behind you, they support you and help you.
He had the state's judicial power behind him.
7 [PREP]
If you refer to what is behind someone's outside appearance, you are referring to a characteristic which you cannot immediately see or is not obvious, but which you think is there.
What lay behind his anger was really the hurt he felt at Grace's refusal...
8 [PREP]
If you are behind someone, you are less successful than them, or have done less or advanced less.
Food production has already fallen behind the population growth.
≠ ahead of
[ADV] be ADV, ADV after v
Behind is also an adverb.
The rapid development of technology means that she is now far behind, and will need retraining...
9 [PREP] PREP pron
If an experience is behind you, it happened in your past and will not happen again, or no longer affects you.
Maureen put the nightmare behind her...
10 [PREP] have/with n PREP pron
If you have a particular achievement behind you, you have managed to reach this achievement, and other people consider it to be important or valuable.
He has 20 years of loyal service to Barclays Bank behind him...
11 [PREP] oft n PREP n
If something is behind schedule, it is not as far advanced as people had planned. If someone is behind schedule, they are not progressing as quickly at something as they had planned.
The work is 22 weeks behind schedule...
≠ ahead of
12 [ADV] ADV after v
If you stay behind, you remain in a place after other people have gone.
About 1,200 personnel will remain behind to take care of the air base.
13 [ADV] ADV after v
If you leave something or someone behind, you do not take them with you when you go.
The rebels fled into the mountains, leaving behind their weapons and supplies...
14
to do something behind someone's back: see back
behind bars: see bar
behind the scenes: see scene
behind the times: see timebe|hind2 /bɪh'aɪnd/ (behind behinds) NOUN USE
[N-COUNT]
Your behind is the part of your body that you sit on.
= bottomfall behind
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P n
If you fall behind, you do not make progress or move forward as fast as other people.
Evans had rheumatic fever, missed school and fell behind...
Boris is falling behind all the top players.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P with n, V P, V P n
If you fall behind with something or let it fall behind, you do not do it or produce it when you should, according to an agreement or schedule.
He faces losing his home after falling behind with the payments...
Thousands of people could die because the relief effort has fallen so far behind...
Construction work fell behind schedule.leave behind
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P, V P n (not pron)
If you leave someone or something behind, you go away permanently from them.
Many of the women had left their husbands behind and they told of their fears that they may never see them again...
We hear of women who run away, leaving behind their homes and families.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P, V P n (not pron)
If you leave behind an object or a situation, it remains after you have left a place.
I don't want to leave anything behind...
A misty rain in the morning had left behind a coolness that would stay for hours.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] be V-ed P, get V-ed P, V n P
If a person, country, or organization is left behind, they remain at a lower level than others because they are not as quick at understanding things or developing.
We're going to be left behind by the rest of the world...
I got left behind at school with the maths...
Inflation has left them way behind.lie behind
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you refer to what lies behind a situation or event, you are referring to the reason the situation exists or the event happened.
It seems that what lay behind the clashes was disagreement over the list of candidates.
In addition to the uses shown below, behind is also used in a few phrasal verbs, such as `fall behind' and `lie behind'.
Please look at category 14 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1 [PREP]
If something is behind a thing or person, it is on the other side of them from you, or nearer their back rather than their front.
I put one of the cushions behind his head...
They were parked behind the truck...
[ADV] usu n ADV, from ADV
Behind is also an adverb.
Rising into the hills behind are 800 acres of parkland...
She was attacked from behind.
2 [PREP]
If you are walking or travelling behind someone or something, you are following them.
Keith wandered along behind him...
Myra and Sam and the children were driving behind them.
[ADV] ADV after v
Behind is also an adverb.
The troopers followed behind, every muscle tensed for the sudden gunfire.
3 [PREP]
If someone is behind a desk, counter, or bar, they are on the other side of it from where you are.
The colonel was sitting behind a cheap wooden desk...
He could just about see the little man behind the counter.
4 [PREP] PREP pron
When you shut a door or gate behind you, you shut it after you have gone through it.
I walked out and closed the door behind me...
He slammed the gate shut behind him.
5 [PREP]
The people, reason, or events behind a situation are the causes of it or are responsible for it.
It is still not clear who was behind the killing...
He is embarrassed about the motives behind his decision.
6 [PREP] PREP pron
If something or someone is behind you, they support you and help you.
He had the state's judicial power behind him.
7 [PREP]
If you refer to what is behind someone's outside appearance, you are referring to a characteristic which you cannot immediately see or is not obvious, but which you think is there.
What lay behind his anger was really the hurt he felt at Grace's refusal...
8 [PREP]
If you are behind someone, you are less successful than them, or have done less or advanced less.
Food production has already fallen behind the population growth.
≠ ahead of
[ADV] be ADV, ADV after v
Behind is also an adverb.
The rapid development of technology means that she is now far behind, and will need retraining...
9 [PREP] PREP pron
If an experience is behind you, it happened in your past and will not happen again, or no longer affects you.
Maureen put the nightmare behind her...
10 [PREP] have/with n PREP pron
If you have a particular achievement behind you, you have managed to reach this achievement, and other people consider it to be important or valuable.
He has 20 years of loyal service to Barclays Bank behind him...
11 [PREP] oft n PREP n
If something is behind schedule, it is not as far advanced as people had planned. If someone is behind schedule, they are not progressing as quickly at something as they had planned.
The work is 22 weeks behind schedule...
≠ ahead of
12 [ADV] ADV after v
If you stay behind, you remain in a place after other people have gone.
About 1,200 personnel will remain behind to take care of the air base.
13 [ADV] ADV after v
If you leave something or someone behind, you do not take them with you when you go.
The rebels fled into the mountains, leaving behind their weapons and supplies...
14
to do something behind someone's back: see back
behind bars: see bar
behind the scenes: see scene
behind the times: see timebe|hind2 /bɪh'aɪnd/ (behind behinds) NOUN USE
[N-COUNT]
Your behind is the part of your body that you sit on.
= bottomfall behind
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P n
If you fall behind, you do not make progress or move forward as fast as other people.
Evans had rheumatic fever, missed school and fell behind...
Boris is falling behind all the top players.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P with n, V P, V P n
If you fall behind with something or let it fall behind, you do not do it or produce it when you should, according to an agreement or schedule.
He faces losing his home after falling behind with the payments...
Thousands of people could die because the relief effort has fallen so far behind...
Construction work fell behind schedule.leave behind
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P, V P n (not pron)
If you leave someone or something behind, you go away permanently from them.
Many of the women had left their husbands behind and they told of their fears that they may never see them again...
We hear of women who run away, leaving behind their homes and families.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P, V P n (not pron)
If you leave behind an object or a situation, it remains after you have left a place.
I don't want to leave anything behind...
A misty rain in the morning had left behind a coolness that would stay for hours.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] be V-ed P, get V-ed P, V n P
If a person, country, or organization is left behind, they remain at a lower level than others because they are not as quick at understanding things or developing.
We're going to be left behind by the rest of the world...
I got left behind at school with the maths...
Inflation has left them way behind.lie behind
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you refer to what lies behind a situation or event, you are referring to the reason the situation exists or the event happened.
It seems that what lay behind the clashes was disagreement over the list of candidates.