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 Church, in this narrative, was a rear guard, fighting a losing battle against the inevitable disenchantment of the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
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
Doli, still muttering angrily about his buzzing ears, rode last, as rear guard, although he flatly refused to make himself invisible no matter what the circumstances.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
