rear guard
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of rear guard
1475–85; < Anglo-French reregard, Old French rereguarde
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.
The British suffered heavy casualties—including the death of Braddock—and might well have taken even more damage had Washington not mustered a rear guard and led a fighting retreat.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
"The approved rear guard repair eliminates the potential for entrapment near the rear roller of the treadmill," the safety regulator said in a statement.
From Reuters • May 18, 2023
Boyd, the company spokesman, said it’s still tying to get the CPSC’s approval for a rear guard — a sign that the treadmill could return to market.
From Washington Post • Jan. 5, 2023
His fifties have been the kind that affect results: an unbeaten rear guard in Dubai, an Ashes counter-attack in Adelaide, the partnership with Smith to set up that Manchester bounce back.
From BBC • Dec. 24, 2020
“The rear guard are afraid of everything. The Germans know what they’re after.”
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
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.
