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

He was chosen as commissioner in October 1989 over New Orleans general manager Jim Finks after a bitter fight highlighting the differences between the NFL's old guard and newer owners. —NPR, 9 Nov. 2025

Young Democrats come for Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic old guard. —Susan Page, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025

The rapid rise of Mamdani — whose career included a stint as a rapper before his time in Albany — has caught the party’s old guard by surprise. —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025

Manon, the 23-year-old guard out of Vanderbilt who the Lakers signed to a two-way contract in late July, made his NBA debut during the third quarter of Sunday’s win in Sacramento after missing the entire preseason and most of training camp because of an ankle injury. —Khobi Price, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025

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