bring up the rear

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

bring up the rear (third-person singular simple present brings up the rear, present participle bringing up the rear, simple past and past participle brought up the rear)

1. (idiomatic) To be last in a moving line of people, to walk or go behind others in a line.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     As for the guides, they were debarred from the pleasure of discourse, the one being placed in the van, and the other obliged to bring up the rear.

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 1, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 1:

     Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet;

Antonyms

• lead the way
• take up the running

Translations

to be last in a moving line of people

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 墊後／垫后 (diànhòu)

• Finnish: olla hännillä
• French: fermer la marche (fr)
• German: das Schlusslicht bilden, das Schlusslicht sein
• Polish: być na końcu impf
• Spanish: cerrar la marcha