outpost

noun

out·​post ˈau̇t-ˌpōst 

1

a

: a security detachment dispatched by a main body of troops to protect it from enemy surprise

b

: a military base established by treaty or agreement in another country

2

a

: an outlying or frontier settlement

b

: an outlying branch or position of a main organization or group

Examples of outpost in a Sentence

an American outpost in Africa

The city was established as a military outpost in the 1800s.

a remote outpost of the old British Empire

Recent Examples on the Web

But the orbiting outpost is set to retire by the end of the decade. —Brendan Byrne, NPR, 1 Aug. 2025

The White House proposes a slightly higher reduction by percentage for the International Space Station and crew and cargo transportation to and from the research outpost. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2025

Joining these new openings is an outpost of Wahlburgers, set to open on Monday, Aug. 4. —Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 1 Aug. 2025

Now, ten years after the utopian actor started creating these peace-building citadels, he’s teamed up with Intelsat/SES, which is supercharging the mission by beaming its high-speed internet connections across these outposts. —Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for outpost

• almost
• engrossed
• foremost
• hindmost
• impost
• inmost
• lamppost
• leftmost
• necrosed
• pancoast
• rightmost
• riposte

Kids Definition

outpost

noun

out·​post ˈau̇t-ˌpōst 

1

: a guard stationed at a distance from a military force or camp

2

: the position occupied by an outpost

3

: a settlement on a frontier or in a faraway place