1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

outposts

noun

plural of outpost
1
as in villages
a small place where people live that is far away from other towns or cities They lived in a remote outpost high in the mountains.

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in barracks
a military facility that is in another country or that is far from a country's center of activity It took about a month for mail to reach the soldiers at the outpost.

Related Words

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 outposts In China, Sessùn is planning three new openings in 2026, following outposts in Shanghai and Shenzhen. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026 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 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 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered unauthorized West Bank settler outposts to be dismantled as his government faces growing scrutiny from the United States to rein in violence against Palestinians. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2026 Since 2023, more than 200 new settlements and outposts have been built or are under construction. — Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2026 This will mark the brand’s third location, along with its Newport Beach and Laguna Hills outposts. — Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 1 Sep. 2026 Despite a paywall, a graphic on the piece shows data centers in these outposts beaming valuable data to the Middle Kingdom, which, to the American government, is unacceptable. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outposts
  1. villages
  2. barracks
  3. settlements
  4. citadels
  5. hamlets
  6. camps
  7. garrisons
  8. forts
Noun
  • Beyond the beach there are farming villages where a scenic adventure can segue into local wine and seasonal, farm-to-table food.
    — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The region covers five provinces, three cities and 63 villages.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of villages
Noun
  • Another strike targeted a barracks for Iran’s 388th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, which operates tanks and armored vehicles, in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iranian state television reported.
    — Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 15 July 2026
  • The explosions were blamed on the negligent handling of dynamite in a barracks close to residential areas.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of barracks
Noun
  • Sonil Jain, Co-founder of Sowtex and ReMaterial, noted that for a fabric exporter trading with Russia, Brazil, or the UAE, there were many possible benefits, including cheaper, faster B2B settlements without dollar-clearing fees destroying margins.
    — Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Scientists and sci-fi authors have envisioned massive cities and settlements on the lunar surface.
    — Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of settlements
Noun
  • Castellón To the north, Castellón unfolds as a mountainous marvel where medieval citadels, golden beaches, and tiny fishing villages create a landscape of contrasts, with the scent of citrus perfuming the air.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Though the song is heavily acoustic, its distorted guitar solos hail squarely from the realm of harder rock, and the artificial choirs that seep in toward the end seem to call out to the symphonic citadels of the Norwegian black metallers.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026
Definition of citadels
Noun
  • These small towns—whether lakeside retreats or artsy hamlets nestled into hills transformed by foliage—are the definition of autumn charm.
    — Taryn Shorr-Mckee, Midwest Living, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The region is made up of various villages and hamlets, including Port Carling (where scenes from the show were filmed at locations like Mortimer’s Point Marina).
    — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of hamlets
Noun
  • Well, the guys who have been through that grind many times over — Mahomes (10 training camps with Reid), Travis Kelce (14) and Chris Jones (11) — say this training camp was unlike any of those past iterations.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026
  • There weren’t separate camps of actors, circus artists, dancers, musicians, puppeteers or singers.
    — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of camps
Noun
  • Because these positions are often held by relatively small Ukrainian garrisons due to the challenges of resupply, Russian forces that reach the town in sufficient numbers are likely to capture it.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
  • Iran maintains military assets and garrisons on the islands.
    — Sam Metz, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Definition of garrisons
Noun
  • Under Spanish rule, able-bodied Malay men, from teenagers to adults, were required to perform 40 days of unpaid annual labor on roads, bridges, churches, forts, piers, plantations, haciendas and mines.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • A number of defensive forts were planned across the island, including one to be erected right where the Africans had been buried.
    — Victoria Davies, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of forts

Browse Nearby Words

outpost
outposts
outpour
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Outposts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outposts. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of volition

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All