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

Amboy fell on hard times after the faster interstate funneled traffic away from the desert outpost. —Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026

Construction began in 1998, and humans have maintained a continuous presence on the orbiting outpost since November 2000. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2026

Beginning with Artemis 4, NASA aimed to use the Gateway outpost around the moon for deep-space science and as an orbital layover stop where Orion and the program's lunar lander could dock to transfer crews headed down to the surface. —Josh Dinner, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026

The hotel delivers direct access to the beach (a rarity here) and there’s an outpost of the namesake restaurant two doors down. —Tim Chester, Robb Report, 5 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