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Rear vs Reverse - What's the difference?

rear | reverse |

In transitive terms the difference between rear and reverse

is that rear is to move; stir while reverse is to change totally; to alter to the opposite.

In intransitive terms the difference between rear and reverse

is that rear is to rise up on the hind legs, as a bolting horse while reverse is to transpose the positions of two things.

rear

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) reren, from (etyl) . More at (l).

Alternative forms

* (l), (l), (l)

Verb

(en verb)
  • To raise physically; to lift up; to cause to rise, to elevate.
  • * (rfdate)
    • In adoration at his feet I fell Submiss; he reared me.
  • * (rfdate)
    • Mine [shall be] the first hand to rear her banner.
  • To construct by building; to set up
    • to rear defenses or houses
    to rear one government on the ruins of another.
  • * (rfdate)
    • One reared a font of stone.
  • To raise spiritually; to lift up; to elevate morally.
  • * (rfdate)
    • It reareth our hearts from vain thoughts.
  • (obsolete) To lift and take up.
  • * (rfdate)
    • And having her from Trompart lightly reared , Upon his set the lovely load.
  • To bring up to maturity, as offspring; to educate; to instruct; to foster.
  • * (rfdate)
    • He wants a father to protect his youth, and rear him up to virtue.
  • To breed and raise; as, to rear cattle (cattle-rearing).
  • (obsolete) To rouse; to strip up.
  • * (rfdate),
    • And seeks the tusky boar to rear.
  • To rise up on the hind legs, as a bolting horse.
    • Usage notes
    See note under raise.
    Synonyms
    * (rise up on the hind legs) prance * build * elevate * erect * establish * lift * raise
    Derived terms
    * raring

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) reren, from (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    * (l), (l)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To move; stir.
  • (of geese) To carve.
    • Rere that goose!
    Related terms
    * (l) * (l)

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) rere, from (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    * (l), (l) * (l) (US)

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • (of eggs) Underdone; nearly raw.
  • (of meats) Rare.
    • Derived terms
    * (l) * (l)

    Etymology 4

    (etyl) rere, ultimately from (etyl) retro. Compare arrear.

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost; as, the rear rank of a company.
    • Antonyms
    * front

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (British, dialect) early; soon
  • * (rfdate) .
    • Then why does Cuddy leave his cot so rear !

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last on order; - opposed to front.
  • * (rfdate)
    • Nipped with the lagging rear of winter's frost.
  • (military) Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest.
  • * (rfdate) Milton
    • When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear.
  • (anatomy) The buttocks, a creature's bottom
    • Synonyms
    * (buttocks) rear end

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To place in the rear; to secure the rear of.
  • (transitive, vulgar, British) To sodomize (perform anal sex)
    • Derived terms
    * rear admiral * rear echelon * rear end * rear front - (military), the rear rank of a body of troops when faced about and standing in that position. * rear guard * rearhorse * rear line - (military), the line in the rear of an army. * rearmost * rearmouse * rear rank - (military), the rank or line of a body of troops which is in the rear, or last in order. * rear sight - (firearms ), the sight nearest the breech. * rearward * bring up the rear - to come last or behind. * rearing bit - a bit designed to prevent a horse from lifting his head when rearing.

    Anagrams

    * ----

    reverse

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Opposite, contrary; going in the opposite direction.
    • We ate the meal in reverse order, starting with dessert and ending with the starter.
    The mirror showed us a reverse view of the scene.
  • Pertaining to engines, vehicle movement etc. moving in a direction opposite to the usual direction.
    • He selected reverse gear.
  • (rail transport, of points) to be in the non-default position; to be set for the lesser-used route.
  • Turned upside down; greatly disturbed.
  • * Gower
    • He found the sea diverse / With many a windy storm reverse .
  • (botany) Reversed.
    • a reverse shell

    Antonyms

    * (rail transport) normal

    Derived terms

    * reverse discrimination

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • *, Bk.XVIII:
  • *:they three smote hym at onys with their spearys, and with fors of themselff they smote Sir Launcelottis horse revers to the erthe.
  • *1963 , Donal Serrell Thomas, Points of Contact :
  • *:The man was killed to feed his image fat / Within this pictured world that ran reverse , / Where miracles alone were ever plain.

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • The opposite of something.
    • We believed the Chinese weren't ready for us. In fact, the reverse was true.
  • The act of going backwards; a reversal.
  • * Lamb
    • By a reverse of fortune, Stephen becomes rich.
  • A piece of misfortune; a setback.
  • * 1990 , (Peter Hopkirk), The Great Game , Folio Society 2010, p. 309:
    • In fact, though the Russians did not yet know it, the British had met with a reverse .
  • The tails side of a coin, or the side of a medal or badge that is opposite the obverse.
  • The side of something facing away from a viewer, or from what is considered the front; the other side.
  • The gear setting of an automobile that makes it travel backwards.
  • A thrust in fencing made with a backward turn of the hand; a backhanded stroke.
    • (Shakespeare)
  • (surgery) A turn or fold made in bandaging, by which the direction of the bandage is changed.

    • Derived terms

    * in reverse

    Verb

    (revers)
  • To turn something around such that it faces in the opposite direction.
  • To turn something inside out or upside down.
  • * Sir W. Temple
    • A pyramid reversed may stand upon his point if balanced by admirable skill.
  • To transpose the positions of two things.
  • To change totally; to alter to the opposite.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Reverse the doom of death.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
    • She reversed the conduct of the celebrated vicar of Bray.
  • (obsolete) To return, come back.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.4:
    • Bene they all dead, and laide in dolefull herse? / Or doen they onely sleepe, and shall againe reuerse ?
  • (obsolete) To turn away; to cause to depart.
  • * Spenser
    • And that old dame said many an idle verse, / Out of her daughter's heart fond fancies to reverse .
  • (obsolete) To cause to return; to recall.
  • * Spenser
    • And to his fresh remembrance did reverse / The ugly view of his deformed crimes.
  • (legal) To revoke a law, or to change a decision into its opposite.
    • to reverse a judgment, sentence, or decree
  • (ergative) To cause a mechanism or a vehicle to operate or move in the opposite direction to normal.
  • (chemistry) To change the direction of a reaction such that the products become the reactants and vice-versa.
  • (rail transport) To place a set of points in the reverse position
  • (rail transport, intransitive, of points) to move from the normal position to the reverse position
  • To overthrow; to subvert.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • These can divide, and these reverse , the state.
  • * Rogers
    • Custom reverses even the distinctions of good and evil.

    Derived terms

    * to reverse out * bootlegger reverse * reversal noun

    Antonyms

    * (rail transport) normalise / normalize (transitive and intransitive)

    Anagrams

    * * * English ergative verbs ----