outposts

Noun

outpost (plural outposts)

1. A military post stationed at a distance from the main body of troops.
   • The outpost did not have enough ammunition to resist a determined assault.
2. The body of troops manning such a post.
   • Sgt. Smith fleeced most of the rest of the outpost of their earnings in their weekly game of craps.
3. A sentinel positioned outside.
   • The net had been fully drawn; every member of the gang had been accounted for and now the outposts stationed in the garden were coming in to take over the work of guarding and escorting the haul of prisoners.1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London
4. An outlying settlement.
   • Beyond the border proper, there are three small outposts not officially under government protection.
5. A square protected by a pawn that is in or near the enemy's stronghold.