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Synonyms

rear guard

American  

noun

  1. a part of an army or military force detached from the main body to bring up and guard the rear from surprise attack, especially in a retreat.

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.

It will install the rear guard for members that request one, which is 17,000 to date.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 23, 2023

"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

In private WhatsApp messages with a special adviser, he said he had to take "rear guard action" to ensure schools did not open, while the then-education secretary was battling to keep children in school.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2023

But they appeared to be the rear guard of an army in retreat.

From Washington Post • Nov. 26, 2021

The rear guard was gone, bound for Thorn Valley.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

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.