outpost

[ out-pohst ]

/ ˈaʊtˌpoʊst /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR outpost ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

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

an outlying settlement, installation, position, etc.

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“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

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Origin of outpost

First recorded in 1750–60; out- + post²

Words nearby outpost

outplacement, outplay, outpoint, outport, outporter, outpost, outpour, outpouring, outpull, output, outrace

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for outpost

The Cubans pulled up to the outpost and crammed the survivors into an open-body jeep and a pickup truck.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A former store manager at a Malibu, California outpost filed a lawsuit in December of 2012.
His Reputation Precedes Him: Dov Charney’s Blacklist|Justin Jones|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On July 4, 2009, a human wave of insurgents attacked the joint U.S./Afghan outpost at Zerok.
We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night|Nathan Bradley Bethea|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A guard tower sat high up on a nearby hill, but the outpost itself was no fortress.
We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night|Nathan Bradley Bethea|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Bergdahl was relieved from guard duty, and instead of going to sleep, he fled the outpost on foot.
We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night|Nathan Bradley Bethea|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now this outpost of Vincennes was one of the first settlements formed in the valley of the Mississippi.
On the Kentucky Frontier|James Otis
The piquets were strengthened and pushed forward, affording another opportunity for a useful lesson in outpost duty.
Forty-one years in India|Frederick Sleigh Roberts
A plan to invade England also helped to deflect his mind from establishing an outpost of his empire upon our continent.
A Straight Deal|Owen Wister
It was that noise we heard in the night, and we were fully expecting a horde of these men of Kharili to pour upon our outpost.
Captured at Tripoli|Percy F. Westerman
His camp was concealed by a skirt of woods, and covered by an outpost.
The Student's Life of Washington; Condensed from the Larger Work of Washington Irving|Washington Irving

British Dictionary definitions for outpost

outpost

/ (ˈaʊtˌpəʊst) /

noun

military

a position stationed at a distance from the area occupied by a major formation
the troops assigned to such a position

an outlying settlement or position

a limit or frontier

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

outpost

noun

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Origin of outpost

Words nearby outpost

Words related to outpost

Example sentences from the Web for outpost

British Dictionary definitions for outpost

noun