tailgate
/ˈteɪlˌɡeɪt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.02 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A hinged board or hatch at the rear of a vehicle that can be lowered for loading and unloading.
noun
The downstream gate in the lock on a canal or river, or in an irrigation system.
verb
To follow another person through access control on their access, rather than on one’s own credentials, especially when entering a door controlled by a card reader.
verb
To privately purchase or sell a security immediately after trading in the same security for a client.
Example Sentences
- "Drop the tailgate, please, and I'll load these pallets."
- "When they first attached tailgates to cars, we were hooked. By the 1970s, wagons with names like Vista Cruiser and Town & Country sported tailgates as big as dining tables."
- "Open up the tailgate, please, and retrieve her suitcases."
- "The locktender closed the tailgate and the chamber started to fill."
- "Are you coming to the tailgate? We'll be grilling brisket."
- "“You don’t want to be at a tailgate having fish and chips,” said Elanja O’Toole, who wore a San Diego Chargers jersey while her husband, Llian O’Toole, wore a St. Louis Rams jersey and face paint."
Etymology
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈteɪlˌɡeɪt/
- British English: /ˈteɪlˌɡeɪt/
Usage
- British usage
- American usage
- Intransitive verb
- Transitive verb