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

El Segundo offices often started as outposts, but many have become bigger than downtown counterparts as workers have fled downtown, said Jason Fine, a real estate broker at JLL. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

That study was based at a facility called the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory, an outpost about the height of the Eiffel Tower. — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026

Collect yours while supplies last at Casa Magazines and Iconic Magazines outposts, select Barnes & Noble bookstores, and some of our favorite fashion insider-y stops along the way. — Vogue Shopping, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2026

The British government’s move follows a surge in settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, and the rapid expansion of dozens of wildcat outposts across the territory over the past year. — Ilan Ben Zion, Christian Science Monitor, 8 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