old guard

noun

variants or less commonly Old Guard
Synonyms of old guardnext
1
: the conservative and especially older members of an organization (such as a political party)
2
: a group of established prestige and influence
see also:
new guard

Examples of old guard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Detroit sent three second-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies to jump four spots for the 19-year-old guard. — Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 24 June 2026 Burries is a 20-year-old guard who stands 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds with a 6-6 wingspan. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 17 June 2026 But even as Chen played arguably her best game of her career on Wednesday, something extra might have been motivating the 24-year-old guard. — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 18 June 2026 The 26-year-old guard will have a chance to add NBA Summer League champion to his resume as one of the newest members of the Sacramento Kings. — Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for old guard

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of old guard was in 1841

Rhymes for old guard

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Browse Nearby Words

old-growth
old guard
old guardism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Old guard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old%20guard. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for old guard

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