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Synonyms

advance guard

American  

noun

  1. a body of troops going before the main force to clear the way, guard against surprise, etc.

advance guard British  

noun

  1. a military unit sent ahead of a main body to find gaps in enemy defences, clear away minor opposition, and prevent unexpected contact

  2. a temporary military detachment sent ahead of a force to prepare for a landing or other operation, esp by making reconnaissance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of advance guard

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Kenyans are the advance guard core of a UN-mandated, multinational force that will seek to restore peace to Haiti.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2024

Summer thunderstorms in the Washington area are generally transient events, sweeping across city and suburb from the north or west, following an advance guard of darkening skies.

From Washington Post • Aug. 10, 2021

It may be more interested in philosophy than in history: I’m tempted to understand each of Bean’s companions as representing an advance guard of Enlightenment thought.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 15, 2018

With mountain men as his advance guard, John Jacob Astor monopolized the American fur trade by 1830 but sold his stake in 1834 when the fashion for beaver hats began declining.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

The early snow was commandeered as its advance guard.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.