outpost

American  

[out-pohst] / ˈaʊtˌpoʊst /

noun

outposts plural

1. a station established at a distance from the main body of an army to protect it from surprise attack.

   We keep only a small garrison of men at our desert outposts.

2. the body of troops stationed there; detachment or perimeter guard.

3. an outlying settlement, installation, position, etc.

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outpost British  

/ ˈaʊtˌpəʊst /

noun

1. military

   1. a position stationed at a distance from the area occupied by a major formation

   2. the troops assigned to such a position

2. an outlying settlement or position

3. a limit or frontier

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• outposts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of outpost

First recorded in 1750–60; out- + post ²

Explanation

An outpost is a camp or station that's somewhat isolated. A military outpost acts as a guard or defense against an enemy's attack on the larger military force. Whenever a small group of people sets up a camp at a distance from the main, larger organization (whether it's military or not), you can call their settlement an outpost. Explorers in the early days of the US set up outposts throughout the West, and many countries establish outposts near their borders with hostile neighbors — encampments for keeping an eye on them. The first written use of outpost is usually ascribed to George Washington.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

outpost outposts

PARSONS, Kan.—Residents of this sleepy farming outpost agree on many things.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

I had been expecting to reach her at an improbable desert outpost, like a Death Valley library with Wi-Fi, but instead reached her in Orange County.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Back then, Folger says, the rural western outpost was filled with "back-to-the-land hippies, college students, cowboys and ski bums".

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines will deliver scientific instruments to the Moon as part of NASA's growing Moon Base Program, which aims to create the first long-term outpost on another world.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

Livermore seemed to be an auxiliary outpost caught between two larger labs, Los Alamos and Berkeley, and it was hardly unreasonable to wonder, with Rabi, if it would ever amount to more.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

The military has also built dozens of bases, outposts and staging areas behind the barrier along the Yellow Line.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

None of the outposts we approached around al-Mughayyir responded to our request for an interview.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Earlier this month, at one of its outposts in Manhattan, people were lining up outside in 92-degree heat before the store had even opened.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

When I asked McCleary about what those internal conversations were like, he reiterated that the company lets general managers take the reins on events at its many official national outposts.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

The plan was accepted at most branches, but some of the more far-flung outposts felt that the plan was an effort by Jo-hannesburg to centralize control over the regions.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• frontier
• settlement
• station