rearguard action
1
7.9
- noun
:
acción de retaguardia
- Both Christian and Jewish thinkers fought a largely unsuccessful rearguard action against the advance of the Enlightenment.
- fighting a rearguard action
Examples
-
The team organized a rearguard action to delay the enemy's advance while others escaped.
-
The Prince of this World has been thrown out; all we see is his rearguard action.
Blog text (15) -
He was fighting a rearguard action against her, just as he had six years ago.
Fiction book (1991) -
At this point, Dr. Svalgaard is engaged in a rearguard action.
Blog text (14) -
Upon attack, the Egyptians fled, leaving General Hicks and the British officers with him to fight a heroic, but in the end hopeless, rearguard action.
Fiction book (2002) -
Thus, in several respects, Hezbollah and its leader find themselves in deep trouble, fighting a rearguard action in order to maintain themselves and regain the status they enjoyed on the eve of the 2006 war.
Academic text (2009) -
The 1st Canadian Division had played an essential role in that battle and, while not without flaws, had fought a desperate rearguard action until Allied reinforcement could be rushed up.
Academic text (2005) -
During the battle, the soldiers executed a strategic rearguard action to protect their retreating comrades.
-
As they withdrew, the troops engaged in a rearguard action to hold off the pursuing forces.
Synonyms
60
7.2
An attack that draws the enemy's attention away from the main force
2
4.4
An action or tool that protects a country from attack
2
6.7
An action to respond to an opponent and get back an advantage
1
7.8
An action by soldiers to draw the enemy's attention away from the main battle
A quick setup of troops and barriers to hold ground when time is short
Antonyms
How Effective
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a defensive action carried out by the rearguard' is directly and compositionally derived from 'rearguard' (unit safeguarding the rear) + 'action' (military operation), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE. The formation follows regular noun-noun composition and has clear parallels in other languages, supporting immediate comprehensibility.
Etymology
Rearguard action comes from a military image: soldiers left at the rear to guard the army while the main force moves back. Those soldiers try to slow the enemy to 'protect' the main army, so the phrase now means a defensive act to 'delay' an opponent or protect a group that is 'retreating'.