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rearguard

   Also found in: Idioms, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
rearguard [ˈrɪəˌgɑːd]
n
1. (Military) a detachment detailed to protect the rear of a military formation, esp in retreat
2. an entrenched or conservative element, as in a political party
rearguard action
a.  an action fought by a rearguard
b.  a defensive action undertaken to try to stop something happening or continuing
[from Old French rereguarde (modern French arrière-garde), from rer, from Latin retro back + guarde guard; compare vanguard]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.rearguard - a detachment assigned to protect the rear of a (retreating) military body
armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker"
detachment - a small unit of troops of special composition
Translations
rearguard [ˈrɪəgɑːd]
A. N (Mil) → retaguardia f
B. CPD rearguard action Ncombate m para cubrir una retirada
to fight a rearguard action (fig) → resistir en lo posible
rearguard [ˈrɪərgɑːrd] n (MILITARY)arrière-garde f
rearguard action n (MILITARY)combat m d'arrière-garde
to fight a rearguard action (MILITARY)mener un combat d'arrière-garde (fig)mener un combat d'arrière-garde
rearguard [ˈrɪəgɑːd] n (Mil) → retroguardia


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Among the field guns on the brow of the hill the general in command of the rearguard stood with a staff officer, scanning the country through his fieldglass.
Next came the musicians and a rearguard of capering fakirs, whose cries sometimes drowned the noise of the instruments; these closed the procession.
Two other men descended after Danglars forming the rearguard, and pushing Danglars whenever he happened to stop, they came by a gentle declivity to the intersection of two corridors.
 
 
 
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