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

That puts him at odds with most of the Senate’s old guard, both liberal and conservative, that had their own fierce debates over foreign policy during the post-9/11 era while maintaining that the United States plays a crucial role in defending democracy around the world. —Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 30 June 2024

The group met secretly in an old guard tower near Rösrath, a town just east of Cologne. —John Ganz, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024

Donald Trump reversed years of electoral history in South Texas that presidential election year, riding a wave of anger over a struggling economy and growing dissatisfaction among Hispanic voters with an old guard of Democratic leadership. —Jazmine Ulloa, New York Times, 16 May 2024

Being joined by his two most recent Democratic predecessors is also a luxury that presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump lacks, having alienated himself from the Republican Party's old guard. —Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1