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

The United States has, this year, rapidly increased its air defenses in the region and relies on the air defense capabilities of some partner countries, but smaller U.S. military outposts in Iraq and Syria remain particularly vulnerable. —Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025

Advertisement Advertisement Thousands of U.S. service members are stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command and an important American military outpost on the Persian Gulf. —Brian Bennett, Time, 23 June 2025

Once a small shark-fishing outpost in the early 1900s, the town quickly gained fame as the herring capital of the Atlantic. —Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

The country lies near the strategic Gwadar port — a key BRI outpost in Pakistan that gives China access to the Indian Ocean — and borders the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for Chinese oil imports from the Persian Gulf. —Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 20 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