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

And other nations, notably China, are working toward their own lunar outposts. —Scott Solomon, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2026

Since then, Cripple Creek has added outposts in Avon, Aspen, Basalt, Silverthorne and Seattle, Washington. —Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026

By daybreak, a new outpost had been established in the village. —Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026

The luxury hotel brand’s first outpost in Tokyo only opened in autumn 2025, but its faultlessly helpful staff seem to have already accrued a generation’s worth of Japanese hospitality. —Stephen Kelly, TheWeek, 26 Mar. 2026

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