old guard

noun

variants or less commonly Old Guard
1
: the conservative and especially older members of an organization (such as a political party)
2
: a group of established prestige and influence

compare new guard

Examples of old guard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Foxx has underscored this potential first and looks to define the race as her attempt to topple the out-of-step Democratic old guard with fresh perspective. Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 15 July 2025 Seeing which teams have successfully moved on from their old guard and integrated their young talent. Michael Cox, New York Times, 2 July 2025 North Korea’s political old guard may be resistant to change, but Kim need point no further than China and Vietnam to show how ruling parties in communist states can retain power while encouraging rapid economic growth. John Delury, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2025 Standing in the way of PSG’s unprecedented success is a member of soccer’s old guard, Inter Milan. Alex Tabet, NBC news, 31 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for old guard

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of old guard was in 1841

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Old guard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old%20guard. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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