tailgate
TAYL-gayt
/ˈteɪlɡeɪt/
To drive dangerously close behind another vehicle; or (as noun) the back door of a truck or station wagon.
Implies unsafe proximity and aggressive driving behavior in moving traffic.
The story behind the word. Originally referring to the hinged door or gate at the rear ('tail') of a horse-drawn wagon in the 19th century. By the 1950s in America, it became a verb describing driving so close your front bumper could virtually touch the front vehicle's tailgate.
Word relationships
- shadow: Shadow implies stealthily following someone, whereas tailgate is close driving in plain sight.
- crowd: Crowd is more general for getting physically close.
- drop back: Drop back means increasing trailing distance from the vehicle ahead.
- keep distance: Maintaining safe space behind another driver.
Commonly confused with
- tollgate: A tollgate is a booth where highway tolls are paid.
Word family
- tailgater (noun): A driver who follows another car too closely.
- tailgating (noun): The act of driving dangerously close behind another vehicle.
Collocations
- tailgate aggressively
- stop tailgating
- tailgate party
Idioms & expressions
- tailgating hazard
Example sentences
- "Do not tailgate the vehicle ahead, as you won't have enough time to stop if they brake suddenly." Safety instruction
- "An impatient driver began to tailgate her, flashing his headlights to force her to yield." Aggressive driving
Memory hook
TAIL-GATE = Riding so close you can count the hinges on their back TAILGATE! Tailgate = Following too closely behind.
When not to use
Do not use for stopped bumper-to-bumper gridlock traffic where vehicles aren't moving at speed.
Fun facts
- 'Tailgating' also refers to pre-game sports parties held around the opened tailgates of trucks in stadium parking lots!
Related words
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