outpost
Americannoun
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outposts
plural
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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.
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the body of troops stationed there; detachment or perimeter guard.
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an outlying settlement, installation, position, etc.
noun
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military
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a position stationed at a distance from the area occupied by a major formation
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the troops assigned to such a position
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an outlying settlement or position
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a limit or frontier
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of outpost
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
We drove past an undeveloped beach—no facilities, just a handful of people taking a dip—and up to a viewpoint where there was a military outpost containing one soldier and his dog.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
On Wednesday Israeli security forces were reported to have withdrawn from the Jewish settler outpost in the village of Qusra near Nablus, following clashes with a crowd of extremist settlers.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Madrid had rushed security personnel and equipment to the North African outpost that it has run for centuries.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
Southern Californian restaurateur Rafi Khan had a clear vision for a new food outpost on a 20-acre ranch he leased in Riverside County earlier this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
This world is observed from a temporary outpost near its lone satellite.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Yehuda Cohen Tzedek, a 29-year-old former Hilltop Youth, demonstrated how people at outposts use nail guns to call for help from others nearby.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Informal ● outposts sprang up around settlements to claim more land.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
The Israeli military said on Thursday it had sent forces to the area a second time, overnight, and dismantled two outposts, detaining one Israeli.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
"Since they will be limited by the few resources they brought from Earth, anything they find on the moon will help them basically live off the land, especially for longer-term missions or outposts."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
“The central hub where the Director and Assistant Director oversee the missions carried out by our agents around the globe. We have outposts on every continent.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
