tailgate
tailgate — adjective
- tailgatepositive
- more tailgatecomparative
- most tailgatesuperlative
1. relating to a social event held in a vehicle park before a sports game or concer
relating to a social event held in a vehicle park before a sports game or concert, where people eat, drink, and spend time together from the back of their vehicles
Hari and his friends set up a tailgate party in the car park before kick-off.
collocation: tailgate party
Esme brought homemade tacos to the tailgate barbecue outside the arena.
collocation: tailgate barbecue
Tailgate traditions are especially popular at American college football games each autumn.
Grilled sausages filled the air at every tailgate event along the row of cars.
文法句型
tailgate + noun (party / barbecue / event)
用法筆記
This adjective only appears before a noun describing the party itself or related items (food, barbecue, area). It is not used predicatively (e.g., not 'the party was tailgate').
tailgate — noun
- tailgatesingular
- tailgatesplural
1. a hinged panel on the rear end of a truck, van, or pickup that folds down or swi
a hinged panel on the rear end of a truck, van, or pickup that folds down or swings open to give access to the space where cargo is kept
João lowered the tailgate of his pickup truck to load the new sofa.
collocation: lower the tailgate
Mira parked the van and opened the tailgate so the movers could reach the boxes.
A thick rope held the tailgate shut after the latch broke during the trip.
The delivery driver slid the packages across the tailgate into the back of the lorry.
Mayumi climbed onto the tailgate to reach the camping gear in the truck bed.
文法句型
the + tailgate + of + [vehicle]
lower / open / close + the + tailgate
用法筆記
Commonly found on pickup trucks, vans, and SUVs. On hatchback cars the similar part is usually called a 'boot' (UK) or 'hatch' rather than a tailgate.
常見錯誤
2. an outdoor gathering where sports fans meet in a parking area before a game to c
an outdoor gathering where sports fans meet in a parking area before a game to cook food, have drinks, and socialise, often using a lowered tailgate as a table
Stefan and his neighbours held a tailgate in the car park before the basketball final.
collocation: hold a tailgate
The university allows tailgates in designated lots four hours before each home game.
Jack cycled past rows of cars where fans were enjoying their tailgates before the match.
Tendai had never been to a tailgate until a cousin invited them to a game.
- tailgate party
the fuller, more formal term; both are used interchangeably
文法句型
have / hold + a + tailgate
at + a + tailgate
用法筆記
Often shortened to simply 'tailgate' in informal speech. The event gets its name from the practice of using the lowered tailgate of a pickup truck as a table for food and drinks.
tailgate — verb
- tailgatepresent simple I / you / we / they
- tailgates3rd person singular
- tailgating-ing form
- tailgatedpast simple
1. to drive your vehicle too near the one travelling ahead, leaving so little room
to drive your vehicle too near the one travelling ahead, leaving so little room that a sudden stop could cause a crash
Haruto hates it when other drivers tailgate him on the highway during rush hour.
transitive: tailgate + person
A police officer stopped the blue car for tailgating a lorry at high speed.
A black motorcycle began tailgating Lisa on the winding mountain road after sunset.
The driving instructor told the student never to tailgate other vehicles in wet weather.
Emre took a longer route to avoid trucks that tailgate cars on that narrow bridge.
- follow too closely
more formal and descriptive; used in driving rules and police reports
- ride someone's bumper
informal idiom, same meaning
- keep a safe distance
the opposite of tailgating — leaving enough space to stop safely
文法句型
tailgate + [vehicle/person]
be + tailgating + [someone/something]
用法筆記
This is the most common meaning of tailgate as a verb. It is always transitive — you tailgate someone or something. The act itself is called 'tailgating' (noun).
常見錯誤
2. to take part in a social event in a vehicle park before a sports game or concert
to take part in a social event in a vehicle park before a sports game or concert, cooking and eating food and having drinks from the back of a vehicle
Sayaka and her friends tailgated for three hours before the concert started that evening.
Fans tailgated in the parking lot, sharing food and music until the gates opened.
Jack tailgated with his office colleagues ahead of the championship basketball game.
A group of neighbours tailgated behind their vans, cooking steaks on a small portable grill.
- have a tailgate party
longer but more widely understood outside of US sports culture
文法句型
tailgate + at [location]
tailgate + with [people]
go + tailgating
用法筆記
Always intransitive — you do not 'tailgate someone' in this sense. The related noun 'tailgate' (as in 'hold a tailgate') and the adjective form are more common than this verb.