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 riverfront eatery still commands hourlong wait times for customers traveling from Sunrise, Plantation and neighborhoods west of Interstate 75, which convinced the couple to pick a suburban outpost.
—
Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
After the 1917 purchase, the islands served for decades as a strategic Caribbean outpost for the United States military and a hub of naval operations.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026
For several months in 2025, activists from the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) camped outside of the houses of various Condé Nast editors’ homes, and protested at the New York retail outpost of American Girl, which is owned by Mattel, whose board members include Condé CEO Roger Lynch.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
What comes next remains to be seen, as several private companies compete for NASA funding to once again establish an outpost in our planet’s orbit — outside of China’s existing Tiangong space station, that is.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for outpost
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Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
After the 1917 purchase, the islands served for decades as a strategic Caribbean outpost for the United States military and a hub of naval operations.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026
For several months in 2025, activists from the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) camped outside of the houses of various Condé Nast editors’ homes, and protested at the New York retail outpost of American Girl, which is owned by Mattel, whose board members include Condé CEO Roger Lynch.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
What comes next remains to be seen, as several private companies compete for NASA funding to once again establish an outpost in our planet’s orbit — outside of China’s existing Tiangong space station, that is.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for outpost
Cite this Entry
“Outpost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outpost. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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