advance guard

American  

noun

1. a body of troops going before the main force to clear the way, guard against surprise, etc.

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advance guard British  

noun

1. a military unit sent ahead of a main body to find gaps in enemy defences, clear away minor opposition, and prevent unexpected contact

2. a temporary military detachment sent ahead of a force to prepare for a landing or other operation, esp by making reconnaissance

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Etymology

Origin of advance guard

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

The Kenyans are the advance guard core of a UN-mandated, multinational force that will seek to restore peace to Haiti.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2024

At Documenta, ruangrupa first did what it always does: dispatch an advance guard and set up a ruruhouse, or ruruHaus, to be locally specific.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2022

Summer thunderstorms in the Washington area are generally transient events, sweeping across city and suburb from the north or west, following an advance guard of darkening skies.

From Washington Post • Aug. 10, 2021

It may be more interested in philosophy than in history: I’m tempted to understand each of Bean’s companions as representing an advance guard of Enlightenment thought.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 15, 2018

One route open to the advance guard was to play with the musical possibilities of the surreal and the absurd.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• forefront
• front line
• vanguard