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

Schiaparelli’s first European retail outpost outside its Paris salon, the Harrods unit sits in the Superbrands room alongside brands including Loro Piana, which also just opened a new space, with Loewe and Valentino to follow suit this summer. —Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 18 June 2025

These hills are the last outpost of the once-mighty and ancient Appalachian range that stretches from northeast Alabama to the tip of Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula, the ground-down essence of the continent. —Robert Finch june 18, Literary Hub, 18 June 2025

The line for the new Bed-Stuy outpost of the Jamaican restaurant Juici Patties snaked down the block on a recent hot evening, making the intersection of Fulton Street and Nostrand Avenue even more jammed than usual. —Jael Goldfine, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

Taqueria El Taco Naco closed its Yuba City outpost, at 968 Cooper Ave., on Tuesday, the restaurant posted on Facebook. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2025

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