Praetorian Guard

American  

noun

Roman History.

1. the bodyguard of a military commander, especially the imperial guard stationed in Rome.

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Praetorian Guard British  

noun

1. the bodyguard of the Roman emperors, noted for its political corruption, which existed from 27 _bc to 312 _ad

2. a member of this bodyguard

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Praetorian Guard Cultural  

1. In the ancient Roman Empire, the emperor's bodyguard.

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The term is sometimes applied to the inner circle of advisers to a major political figure.

Example Sentences

“At some point, reality needs to set in. Instead, we have the vaunted so-called Federalist Society and originalist judges acting as a Praetorian Guard for this post-constitutional structure.”

From Salon

Every time the media exaggerates or misleads on a specific story, it provides an opportunity for Trump and his Praetorian Guard to claim that the media exaggerate or mislead on every story.

From Los Angeles Times

“He’s got basically a Praetorian Guard of the conservative media — Fox News, the websites, all this stuff,” Mr. DeSantis told reporters outside his campaign headquarters in Urbandale, Iowa.

From New York Times

Besides the emperor’s residence, the complex included gardens, places of worship, quarters for the Praetorian Guard that protected the ruler and a service district for workers that overlooked the Roman Forum.

From Seattle Times

Eventually Nero’s excesses became too much for his Praetorian Guard, and in C.E.

From Scientific American