old guard

noun

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

compare new guard

Examples of old guard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This old guard not only includes large corporations that remain behind the times technologically but also hundreds of thousands of moribund small and medium enterprises. Richard Katz, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2024 From labor’s vantage point, the long stalemate in the WGA contract negotiations that prolonged the strike was fueled by discord between showbiz’s new and old guards. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 11 Oct. 2023 While the new era of RHONY is all about crying, our old guards (and Kristen Taekman) are bringing back the comedy. Vulture, 5 Nov. 2023 Related Stories Most old guard Hollywood players didn’t match that performance as those with legacy linear TV networks especially faced a roller coaster ride amid digital competition. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Dec. 2023 Part of the region’s old guard, Bostock came on the scene in 2002. Gina Decaprio Vercesi, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2023 Meanwhile, some of the intellectual old guard was well-represented. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 18 Oct. 2023 That was when a young, progressive New York lawyer and adventure skier named Shane Fuhrman beat the longtime fire chief Gilbert Archuleta, part of Silverton’s old guard, by 10 votes to become the new mayor. Jonathan Weisman Benjamin Rasmussen, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023 Members of New York City’s old guard—then known as Knickerbockers, as they were descended from the island’s original Dutch settlers who used to wear knickerbocker-style pants—had secured their boxes back in the 1850s. Elise Taylor, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'old guard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near old guard

Cite this Entry

“Old guard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old%20guard. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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