The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rear \Rear\, v. i.
   To rise up on the hind legs, as a horse; to become erect.
   [1913 Webster]

   Rearing bit, a bit designed to prevent a horse from lifting
      his head when rearing. --Knight.
      [1913 Webster] Reardorse

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rear \Rear\ (r[=e]r), v. t.
   To place in the rear; to secure the rear of. [R.]
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rear \Rear\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Reared (r[=e]rd); p. pr. &
   vb. n. Rearing.] [AS. r[=ae]ran to raise, rear, elevate,
   for r[=ae]san, causative of r[imac]san to rise. See Rise,
   and cf. Raise.]
   1. To raise; to lift up; to cause to rise, become erect,
      etc.; to elevate; as, to rear a monolith.
      [1913 Webster]

            In adoration at his feet I fell
            Submiss; he reared me.                --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

            It reareth our hearts from vain thoughts. --Barrow.
      [1913 Webster]

            Mine [shall be] the first hand to rear her banner.
                                                  --Ld. Lytton.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To erect by building; to set up; to construct; as, to rear
      defenses or houses; to rear one government on the ruins of
      another.
      [1913 Webster]

            One reared a font of stone.           --Tennyson.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To lift and take up. [Obs. or R.]
      [1913 Webster]

            And having her from Trompart lightly reared,
            Upon his courser set the lovely load. --Spenser.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. To bring up to maturity, as young; to educate; to
      instruct; to foster; as, to rear offspring.
      [1913 Webster]

            He wants a father to protect his youth,
            And rear him up to virtue.            --Southern.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. To breed and raise; as, to rear cattle.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. To rouse; to stir up. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            And seeks the tusky boar to rear.     --Dryden.
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: To lift; elevate; erect; raise; build; establish. See
        the Note under Raise, 3
      (c) .
          [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rear \Rear\ (r[=e]r), adv.
   Early; soon. [Prov. Eng.]
   [1913 Webster]

         Then why does Cuddy leave his cot so rear? --Gay.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rear \Rear\, n. [OF. riere behind, backward, fr. L. retro. Cf.
   Arrear.]
   1. The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last
      in order; -- opposed to front.
      [1913 Webster]

            Nipped with the lagging rear of winter's frost.
                                                  --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes
      last, or is stationed behind the rest.
      [1913 Webster]

            When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear.
                                                  --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rear \Rear\, a.
   Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost; as, the rear
   rank of a company.
   [1913 Webster]

   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.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

rear
    adj 1: located in or toward the back or rear; "the chair's rear
           legs"; "the rear door of the plane"; "on the rearward
           side" [syn: rear(a), rearward(a)]
    n 1: the back of a military formation or procession;
         "infantrymen were in the rear" [ant: head]
    2: the side of an object that is opposite its front; "his room
       was toward the rear of the hotel" [syn: rear, backside,
       back end] [ant: forepart, front, front end]
    3: the part of something that is furthest from the normal
       viewer; "he stood at the back of the stage"; "it was hidden
       in the rear of the store" [syn: back, rear] [ant:
       front]
    4: the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on; "he
       deserves a good kick in the butt"; "are you going to sit on
       your fanny and do nothing?" [syn: buttocks, nates,
       arse, butt, backside, bum, buns, can,
       fundament, hindquarters, hind end, keister,
       posterior, prat, rear, rear end, rump, stern,
       seat, tail, tail end, tooshie, tush, bottom,
       behind, derriere, fanny, ass]
    5: the side that goes last or is not normally seen; "he wrote
       the date on the back of the photograph" [syn: rear, back]
       [ant: front]
    v 1: stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds; "The horse reared
         in terror" [syn: rear, rise up]
    2: bring up; "raise a family"; "bring up children" [syn: rear,
       raise, bring up, nurture, parent]
    3: rise up; "The building rose before them" [syn: rise,
       lift, rear]
    4: cause to rise up [syn: rear, erect]
    5: construct, build, or erect; "Raise a barn" [syn: raise,
       erect, rear, set up, put up] [ant: dismantle,
       level, pull down, rase, raze, take down, tear
       down]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

263 Moby Thesaurus words for "rear":
   aft, after, aftermost, apprentice, arena, arise, arse, ascend, ass,
   assemble, back, backdrop, background, backside, backward, behind,
   boost, bottom, break, break in, breed, bring up, bristle, build,
   bulk, bulk large, bum, buoy up, buss the clouds, butt, buttocks,
   care for, carve, cast, cast up, chisel, cock up, come up, compose,
   compound, concoct, condition, construct, convert, create, crop,
   croup, crupper, cultivate, culture, curl upwards, develop, devise,
   discipline, distance, drill, dryfarm, educate, elaborate, elevate,
   end, erect, escalate, evolve, exceed, exercise, extract, extrude,
   fabricate, fanny, farm, fashion, fatten, feed, fetch up, field,
   fit, flounder, form, formulate, foster, frame, fudge together,
   garden, get up, go up, groom, ground, grow, grow up, harvest,
   hatch, haunches, heave, heft, heighten, heist, hike, hind,
   hind end, hind part, hinder, hindermost, hindhand, hindmost,
   hindquarters, hinterland, hobbyhorse, hoick, hoist, hold up,
   house-train, housebreak, improve, indite, jerk up, jump up, keep,
   knock up, last, levitate, lick into shape, lift, lift up, lob,
   locale, loft, loom, loom large, lurch, machine, make,
   make heavy weather, make up, manufacture, mature, mill, mine,
   mise-en-scene, mold, mount, nates, nurse, nurture, outsoar,
   outstrip, overtop, patch together, perk up, pick up,
   piece together, pitch, pitch and toss, plunge, posterior, postern,
   pound, practice, prefabricate, prepare, process, produce,
   propagate, pump, put in tune, put to school, put together, put up,
   raise, raise aloft, raise up, ramp, ranch, ready, rear aloft,
   rear end, rear guard, rear up, rearmost, rearward, reel, refine,
   rehearse, retral, retrograde, rise, rise above, rise up, rock,
   roll, rump, run, run up, scend, scene, seat, send to school,
   set up, setting, shape, sharecrop, sit bolt upright, sit up, sky,
   smelt, soar, spiral, spire, stage, stage set, stage setting,
   stand on tiptoe, stand out, stand up, stand upright, stern,
   stick up, surge, swarm up, sway, sweep up, swing, tag end, tail,
   tail end, take in hand, take up, theater, throw up, toss,
   toss and tumble, tower, tower above, train, transcend, tumble,
   tush, tushy, up, upbuoy, upcast, upend, upgo, upgrow, upheave,
   uphoist, uphold, uplift, upraise, uprear, upright, uprise, upspin,
   upstream, upsurge, upswarm, upthrow, upwind, wallow, welter,
   whomp up, write, yaw



The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):

REAR, n.  In American military matters, that exposed part of the army
that is nearest to Congress.