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
McCarthy said that the Consumer Product Safety Commission approved its design for a new rear guard for the product this past quarter.
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
Asha held her horsemen back as a rear guard, to keep the stragglers moving and see that no one was left behind.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
