outpost

American  

[aut-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

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Etymology

Origin of outpost

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

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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

At the Mandarin Oriental, you’ll find an outpost of Gaia, the Dubai-based Greek restaurant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

And Carnegie Mellon gets an outpost in the South, a region increasingly appealing to many college students, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

Extremist settlers had set up an illegal outpost close to Jalud and besieged three houses, including two belonging to the al-Tubasis' sons who are married with young daughters.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

After years of litigation and anticipation, Camarillo is getting its own Costco Wholesale outpost.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

It was as if Ba had brought us to some remote outpost.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Chevron poached him from TotalEnergies, the French oil company known for doing business in remote outposts where some U.S. companies have feared to tread.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

In the last year, the grocer has opened in West Hollywood, Glendale and Thousand Oaks, with outposts in Costa Mesa and downtown Los Angeles locations planned for 2027.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

He said his land was now surrounded by seven Jewish settlements and outposts.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Mikhmas is located in the central West Bank between Ramallah and Jerusalem, near several Israeli settlement outposts whose residents have attacked the community on several occasions in recent months.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

During 1944 and 1945, open criticism of Groves’s regime surfaced at the Chicago Met Lab and other Manhattan Project outposts.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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Related Words

• frontier
• settlement
• station

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