old guard
noun
variants
or less commonly Old Guard
1
: the conservative and especially older members of an organization (such as a political party)
2
: a group of established prestige and influence
compare new guard
Examples of old guard in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With socialists? Mamdani’s victory means AOC may be emboldened now to run for president in 2028, setting up a huge intra-party battle between establishment old guard moderates and progressives.
—
Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 26 June 2025
Foxx has underscored this potential first and looks to define the race as her attempt to topple the out-of-step Democratic old guard with fresh perspective.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 15 July 2025
Seeing which teams have successfully moved on from their old guard and integrated their young talent.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 2 July 2025
North Korea’s political old guard may be resistant to change, but Kim need point no further than China and Vietnam to show how ruling parties in communist states can retain power while encouraging rapid economic growth.
—John Delury, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for old guard
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Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 26 June 2025
Foxx has underscored this potential first and looks to define the race as her attempt to topple the out-of-step Democratic old guard with fresh perspective.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 15 July 2025
Seeing which teams have successfully moved on from their old guard and integrated their young talent.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 2 July 2025
North Korea’s political old guard may be resistant to change, but Kim need point no further than China and Vietnam to show how ruling parties in communist states can retain power while encouraging rapid economic growth.
—John Delury, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for old guard
Cite this Entry
“Old guard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old%20guard. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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