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:

Examples of old guard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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That landslide victory was galvanized by deadly street protests in the fall led by a Gen Z determined to purge a political old guard perceived as venal and out of touch. Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Apr. 2026 Investors showed the stock love on signs that the chipmaker may be starting to shed its old guard reputation. Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2026 The elder Pitino is part of college sports’ old guard. Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026 Yet inside of crypto’s ecosystem, the divisions appeared enormous: old guard versus tourist, ideologue versus grifter, builder versus trader. Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Old guard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old%20guard. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.

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