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

see also:

new guard

Examples of old guard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On Sunday, the Thunder agreed to a five-year, $139 million extension with 22-year-old guard Cason Wallace. — Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 20 Oct. 2026

The Lakers signed the 27-year-old guard for extra scoring punch and have missed him as a third ballhandling option to supplement Doncic and Austin Reaves. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026

The prolific – and still very active – Bellocchio, who is 86, is considered the greatest living Italian director of the country’s old guard that came of age during the 1960s. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Ever since, support for Paxton from much of the party’s old guard has been grudging at best. — Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for old guard

• asgard
• backyard
• barnyard
• blackguard
• bombard
• brickyard
• canard
• churchyard
• coastguard
• courtyard
• debarred
• diehard