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
Early on, a young, entrepreneurial Lorenzo was not accepted by the airline industry old guard.
—
Ted Reed, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
With almost the entirety of Hamas’ old guard decapitated, Mashal seems to be the only choice for maintaining a connection to their past.
—Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 17 Oct. 2024
But country music’s old guard remains stationed at its doorway.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2024
The House’s old guard of leadership — former speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), and James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) — have subtly made public statements on the paths Biden might consider.
—Theodoric Meyer, Washington Post, 12 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for old guard 
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.
Ted Reed, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
With almost the entirety of Hamas’ old guard decapitated, Mashal seems to be the only choice for maintaining a connection to their past.
—Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 17 Oct. 2024
But country music’s old guard remains stationed at its doorway.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2024
The House’s old guard of leadership — former speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), and James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) — have subtly made public statements on the paths Biden might consider.
—Theodoric Meyer, Washington Post, 12 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for old guard
Dictionary Entries Near old guard
Cite this Entry
“Old guard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old%20guard. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share