The Collaborative International Dictionary
Rear \Rear\, a. Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost; as, the rear rank of a company.
Rear admiral, an officer in the navy, next in rank below a vice admiral and above a commodore. See Admiral.
Rear front (Mil.), the rear rank of a body of troops when faced about and standing in that position.
Rear guard (Mil.), the division of an army that marches in the rear of the main body to protect it; -- used also figuratively.
Rear line (Mil.), the line in the rear of an army.
Rear rank (Mil.), 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.
To bring up the rear, to come last or behind.
Usage examples of "rear rank".
Trumpets sang, and the great bar of men and dogs came to a halttail-end first, as the last battalion out of the gate stopped with their rear rank barely clear of the portals.
Sharpe was amused to see that if a Life Guardsman tumbled from a slipping horse the man would remount, then hide his soiled uniform in the rear rank of his troop, just as if he was on parade in Hyde Park.
That put him in the rear rank of spear-bearers, and a shield edge slammed down, twice.
The normal front rank was at the moment the left flank of the column, while the file on the right side would form the rear rank when the legion halted and faced left —.
BAM and the long barrels of the rear rank swung down in unison, as the troopers reloaded.
The pebbles that he had intended to spray across Vibulenus rattled instead on the backs and helmets of the soldiers of the rear rank as the messenger skidded to a halt.
Trumpets sang, and the great bar of men and dogs came to a halt tail-end first, as the last battalion out of the gate stopped with their rear rank barely clear of the portals.
The front rank checked for ten seconds, aim and fire and eject and reload, and the rear rank walked through, on another ten paces, stopped in their turn.