Definition

1. 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

1. a detachment assigned to protect the rear of a (retreating) military body