Rearguard
noun
The last part of an army or people who move from a place.
The rearguard of the party were struggling to keep up with the rest.
Often appears as...
- rearguard action
- rearguard fight
noun
A defense or resistance against something.
The rearguard action by the legal team saved the company from bankruptcy.
Often appears as...
- rearguard effort
- rearguard struggle
noun
The last part of an army or people who move from a place.
The rearguard of the party were struggling to keep up with the rest.
Often appears as...
- rearguard action
- rearguard fight
noun
A defense or resistance against something.
The rearguard action by the legal team saved the company from bankruptcy.
Often appears as...
- rearguard effort
- rearguard struggle
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Military Origin
Originally refers to the last unit in a military formation, protecting from behind.
The general ordered the rearguard to hold the line while the rest retreated.
Pro Tip 2/3Group Movement
Used to describe the group at the back in any organized movement or process.
During the hike, the rearguard helped ensure no one was left behind.
Pro Tip 3/3Not Literal
Doesn't always involve an actual army, can refer to any trailing part of a group.
The slower students formed a rearguard, trailing the class on the field trip.
Pro Tip 1/3Military Origin
Originally refers to the last unit in a military formation, protecting from behind.
The general ordered the rearguard to hold the line while the rest retreated.
Pro Tip 2/3Group Movement
Used to describe the group at the back in any organized movement or process.
During the hike, the rearguard helped ensure no one was left behind.
Pro Tip 3/3Not Literal
Doesn't always involve an actual army, can refer to any trailing part of a group.
The slower students formed a rearguard, trailing the class on the field trip.
Pro Tip 1/3Military Origin
Originally refers to the last unit in a military formation, protecting from behind.
The general ordered the rearguard to hold the line while the rest retreated.
Pro Tip 2/3Group Movement
Used to describe the group at the back in any organized movement or process.
During the hike, the rearguard helped ensure no one was left behind.
Pro Tip 3/3Not Literal
Doesn't always involve an actual army, can refer to any trailing part of a group.
The slower students formed a rearguard, trailing the class on the field trip.
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Video examples
Banded Mongooses...
the all-clear as well as watching for trouble ahead there is also a rearguard at the first
Video examples
Banded Mongooses...
the all-clear as well as watching for trouble ahead there is also a rearguard at the first
Example 1 of 1
Quote examples
Eliezer Yudkowsky
American Writer
Let the winds of evidence blow you about as though you are a leaf, with no direction of your own. Beware lest you fight a rearguard retreat against the evidence, grudgingly conceding each foot of ground only when forced, feeling cheated. Surrender to the truth as quickly as you can.
Quote examples
David Olusoga
British Historian
The refusal to accept that the black presence in Britain has a long and deep history is not just a symptom of racism, it is a form of racism. It is part of a rearguard and increasingly unsustainable defence of a fantasy monochrome version of British history.
Quote examples
Hugh Mackay
Australian Scientist
The question is, will we continue to fight what may be a rearguard action to defend universal literacy as a central goal of our education system, or are we bold enough to see what's actually happening to our culture?
Quote examples
Eliezer Yudkowsky
American Writer
Let the winds of evidence blow you about as though you are a leaf, with no direction of your own. Beware lest you fight a rearguard retreat against the evidence, grudgingly conceding each foot of ground only when forced, feeling cheated. Surrender to the truth as quickly as you can.
Quote examples
David Olusoga
British Historian
The refusal to accept that the black presence in Britain has a long and deep history is not just a symptom of racism, it is a form of racism. It is part of a rearguard and increasingly unsustainable defence of a fantasy monochrome version of British history.
Quote examples
Hugh Mackay
Australian Scientist
The question is, will we continue to fight what may be a rearguard action to defend universal literacy as a central goal of our education system, or are we bold enough to see what's actually happening to our culture?
Example 1 of 3
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