old guard

as in establishment
the usually older members of an organization (such as a political party) who do not want or like change She's not popular with the old guard.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of old guard The Kings will need a big night from their 30-year-old guard with Monk, Murray and Sabonis out. Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025 The 25-year-old guard has started 150 career NBA games, but nearly all of those games (143) came as a member of a bad Houston Rockets team from 2020-23. Eric Nehm, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025 Some of our old guard would be old. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025 If the party’s old guard falters, look out. Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for old guard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for old guard
establishment
Noun
  • Laporta’s commitment to the Super League project has also appeared to wane, with the Barcelona chief reaching out to UEFA and the rest of the European football establishment, which Madrid continue to shun.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Mamdani, who won the primary in stunning fashion, has faced skepticism from some in the Democratic establishment, particularly over his criticism of Israel.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Old guard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old%20guard. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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