outrider

[out-rahy-der]

noun

1. a mounted attendant riding before or beside a carriage.

2. (at a racetrack) a mounted rider who accompanies or leads a racehorse to the post.

3. a person who goes in advance of an automobile or person to clear a passage.

4. a person who leads the way or is a member of a vanguard; forerunner.

5. a person who rides out or forth, especially a scout, cowhand, ranch hand, or the like.

outrider

/ ˈaʊtˌraɪdə /

noun

1. a person who goes ahead of a car, group of people, etc, to ensure a clear passage

2. a person who goes in advance to investigate, discover a way, etc; scout

3. a person who rides in front of or beside a carriage, esp as an attendant or guard

4. a mounted herdsman

Word History and Origins

Origin of outrider¹

1300–50; Middle English: official in a monastery; out-, rider

Example Sentences

PC Harrison was among the team of convoy motorcycle outriders that was escorting Sophie as she left the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office in King Charles Street just after 15:00 BST.

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A jury has been shown footage of the moment a police motorcycle outrider drove through a red light at twice the speed limit in west London and hit an 81-year-old woman who later died.

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Police outriders from the City of London Police and from France’s Gendarme Nationale were also there to escort them.

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Suddenly, amid the flashing lights and police outriders, the airport came into view.

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Police outriders swarm all around us, and junctions are closed, so we can race through.

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Related Words

• forerunner 
• harbinger