the imperial guard created in 1804 by Napoleon: it made the last French charge at Waterloo.
(in the U.S.) the conservative element of any political party, especially the Republican Party.
(usually lowercase) the influential, established, more conservative members of any body, group, movement, etc..
the old guard of New York society.
a group that works for a long-established or old-fashioned cause or principle
the conservative element in a political party or other group
Translation of French Vieille Garde
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Netflix proved with "The Old Guard" they can make a decent Europudding action film.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2023
Two Old Guard platoon horses, Mickey and Tony, had to be euthanized within days of each other in February 2022.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2023
There are three specialty units in the Old Guard.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 3, 2023
The figures gather inside like a collection of strangers from different worlds with little in common, united only in their solidarity against the Old Guard.
From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 2022
From this time Mary became much attached to him, and they frequently took many pleasant rambles together, and the Old Guard called him a little corporal, and said he might one day be an officer.
From Child of the Regiment by Anonymous
The old guard isn’t content to be swept away just yet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
It's a big moment: a grand reminder that the old guard has given way to the new.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
This has happened over and over again when a new generation steps up with a different energy and new ideas: the old guard always freaks out.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Juan Antonio Rodriguez, a 71-year-old colonel in the interior ministry, mourned the loss of one of the last members of Cuba's old guard.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
“The old guard despises me because I live and glean with a flair they sorely lack,” Goddard had told Rowan.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
