rears

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of rear.

   Mechanics inspected the rears of the buses for worn brake lights.

   The general ordered his officers to guard the rears of the two retreating divisions.

   Note

   A plural that turns up mostly when there are several separate backs to talk about: the rears of buses, or the hindmost parts of two armies or fleets. The abstract, directional uses of the singular rarely take a plural. The spelling is shared with the verb meaning "raises" or "rises", so context, not form, tells a reader which word is meant.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of rear.

   He rears prize cattle on land his family has farmed for generations.

   The frightened stallion rears and paws at the air whenever thunder rolls.

   Note

   One form, two quite different constructions. With an object it means bringing up or breeding: she rears sheep, he rears three children. Without one it describes something rising up: a horse lifting onto its hind legs, a cliff towering above a town, or a person flaring into anger. Whether an object follows is the quickest way to tell which meaning is in play.

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