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

The California outpost is a naturally strategic move for a brand that has earned celebrities’ increasing attention over the years. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026

The Canadian Space Agency was on the hook to build a robotic arm for the Gateway outpost, improving on the Canadian robotics systems used on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026

And yet Trump wants to turn the White House and an outpost on the Potomac into similar citadels, with little regard for why America’s capital city was named for one of its greatest examples of unadorned republican virtue. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

Food and drink Tucked to the left of the lobby is Senses, the hotel’s all-day dining outpost. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 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