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

Last year, the nascent Uyghur chain added an outpost just outside Atlanta. —Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026

Dread and the fact that a new outpost of Good Day Pilates opened a half block from my Brooklyn apartment. —Alice Gregory, Vogue, 11 May 2026

According to this order, the space agency’s priorities should include landing people on the moon by 2028 and starting a permanent lunar outpost by 2030. —Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 11 May 2026

At the same time, the Mission was a West Coast outpost for new developments in Latin music, and the young guitarist was a sponge. —Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 10 May 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