as in establishment
the usually older members of an organization (such as a political party) who do not want or like change
She's not popular with the old guard.
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Recent Examples of old guard
While the Family Levy didn’t exactly rock the L.A.’s Peacock Theater as the first father-and-son hosts, breakout moments came courtesy of TV’s old guard (yey, Candy Bergen!) and Jodie Foster’s first Emmy win.
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Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2024
The Democratic Party’s old guard was inclined to accede to the request, but the antiwar members forced the party’s caucus to hold a vote, and the aid was denied.
—John A. Lawrence, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020
The changes are rooted at least in part in a generation of younger Democrats who have sought to challenge the party’s old guard.
—Yash Roy, The Hill, 10 July 2024
In turn, Myanmar’s old guard will maintain a strong influence on the parliament—the 110 military members of parliament provide an effective veto over any amendments to the constitution, which requires more than 75 percent of the parliamentary vote to change.
—Francis Wade, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2015
See all Example Sentences for old guard 
Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2024
The Democratic Party’s old guard was inclined to accede to the request, but the antiwar members forced the party’s caucus to hold a vote, and the aid was denied.
—John A. Lawrence, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020
The changes are rooted at least in part in a generation of younger Democrats who have sought to challenge the party’s old guard.
—Yash Roy, The Hill, 10 July 2024
In turn, Myanmar’s old guard will maintain a strong influence on the parliament—the 110 military members of parliament provide an effective veto over any amendments to the constitution, which requires more than 75 percent of the parliamentary vote to change.
—Francis Wade, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2015
See all Example Sentences for old guard
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Cite this Entry
“Old guard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old%20guard. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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