rearguard
/'riəgɑ:d/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A military detachment protecting the rear: A rearguard is a group of soldiers assigned to protect the back part of a military force, especially during a retreat or withdrawal, to prevent or delay enemy attacks from behind.
- A defensive or delaying action in a non-military context: By extension, a rearguard can refer to a person or group making a determined, often defensive, effort to protect or preserve something that is being lost or challenged.
Usage and Examples
Noun (Military context):
- The general ordered a strong rearguard to cover the army's retreat.
- The rearguard held the bridge long enough for the main force to escape.
Noun (Figurative context):
- The old professor was part of the rearguard fighting against the decline of classical education.
- They are fighting a rearguard action to save the historic building from demolition.
Advanced Usage
- "Rearguard action": This common phrase refers to a defensive struggle, especially one undertaken to delay or prevent something undesirable, even if ultimate defeat or change seems inevitable.
- The company's lawsuit was a rearguard action against the new regulations.
- He is waging a lonely rearguard action against the use of smartphones in the classroom.
Variants and Related Words
- Vanguard (noun): The opposite of a rearguard; the forefront or leading position in a movement or field.
- The company was in the vanguard of digital innovation.
Synonyms
- Defenders: Those who protect from attack.
- Guard: A person who protects or watches over something.
- Escort: A person or group accompanying another for protection.
Related Phrases
- Fighting a rearguard action: Engaging in a defensive struggle against change or a stronger force.
- The politicians were merely fighting a rearguard action; public opinion had already shifted.
Noun
- a detachment assigned to protect the rear of a (retreating) military body