observation post
5
5.6
- noun
- /ˌɑbzərˈveɪʃən poʊst/
:
puesto de observación
- Sometime after midnight, from an observation post at a small base in Paktya Province, American soldiers watched the battle begin.
And then one of the officers, he'd been into the same observation post in this building.
- And then one of the officers, he'd been into the same observation post in this building.
- Perhaps what I find most elusive from my observation post at this time are our interlocutors.
- So I was doing O PS what's OP observation posts?
Examples
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The soldiers watched the enemy movements from their observation post on the hill.
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"A great military observation post," I remember thinking.
Academic text (2008) -
Luck being with us, the observation post is there, too.
Fiction book (1998) -
Locate your observation post on this hill.
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My men were under cover on the roof, except for Krasevitch who was on an observation post.
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You'll be in the observation post in the alley.
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From the second observation post, the group rode back along the service road below the guideway.
Academic text (2002) -
At dawn, Xerxes arrived at an observation post overlooking the Strait.
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"Will the Nationalists move more men across, General?" The young marine second lieutenant commanding the observation post shifted nervously.
Fiction book (2002) -
What kept him going at times like these was the realization that from this observation post he had so much more insight into his fellow men than he could ever have if he were to mix physically with them.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
24
3.4
A high place where you can see far across the land
1
4.4
A place where people watch and record weather, animals, or stars
A building on a hill or tower where people watch for danger
How Strategic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a position from which to watch or monitor' is directly derivable from combining 'observation' (watching/monitoring) with 'post' (a place or position). This compound follows a common English noun–noun composition pattern and has clear equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Observation post comes from the simple image of someone watching from a small high post or shelter, with observation meaning careful looking. Because the person at the post can see far and tell others what they see, the phrase now means 'a place to watch'.